


Afterfamily

by Geishaaa



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Canon, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bleach Headcanons, Blood and Injury, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV) References, Canon Compliant, Canon Universe, Drama, Family, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Past Child Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Squad Ten-centric, Team as Family, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, ginran - Freeform, isshin is homesick, papa bear Isshin, past GinRan, rangiku cant cook, sibling relationships, toshiro accidentally calling Isshin dad, young Hitsugaya
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:01:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 129,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24089323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geishaaa/pseuds/Geishaaa
Summary: A collection of glimpses into Toshiro’s eccentric upbringing with a charismatic captain and a wild lieutenant | Olden days Squad Ten-centric..Afterfamily(n). The family one has in their afterlife; family after death
Relationships: Hitsugaya Toushirou & Kurosaki Isshin & Matsumoto Rangiku
Comments: 297
Kudos: 208





	1. Dad

**Author's Note:**

> Hello my lovelies,
> 
> I present to you an olden days Squad Ten fic! It will be a collection of moments from way back when Isshin, Rangiku and Toshiro worked together. These will be uploaded in unchronological order, and will contain plenty of family fluff, humour, hurt/comfort, drama, maybe slight angst.  
> It is, for the most part, canon compliant – but you’ll notice some obvious changes I’ve made to satisfy my papa bear!Isshin needs.
> 
> Arigato~
> 
> Afterfamily  
> (n). The family one has in their afterlife; family after death.  
> (Disclaimer – not a real word, not a real definition)

* * *

What could be more embarrassing than _accidentally_ calling your captain ‘Dad’?

Accidentally calling him ‘Dad’ in front of the entire squad, that’s what.

Toshiro pouted his lip and brought his knees up to his chest, grateful that at least no one could see him sulking about it now. He was a kid but gods forbid he acted like it.

He sat on the rooftop of the officer dorms – the tallest building inside the barracks. It was the middle of the day and the sun was unpleasantly beating down on him but Toshiro couldn’t hide anywhere else, and he needed a quiet place to ponder how he was ever going to face anyone again.

_They had all laughed._

It had been during the weekly Friday morning briefing. The meeting was attended by all available squad members. It was a chance for their captain to catch up with all the teams and make sure everyone had completed their tasks for the week, and that they knew what they were to complete in the approaching week. It was an opportunity for the squad to come together for the final push of the working week.

It started fine, nothing out of the ordinary. Captain Shiba and Lieutenant Matsumoto stood above everyone on the low-rise stage in the barrack’s central quadrant. Toshiro stood in the front row of the crowd with the other seat officers, and behind them the unseated officers strained their hearing to listen to what was being said. Toshiro was the squad’s third seat so thankfully he had front row rights, especially since he was about half the height of everyone else.

Fourth Seat Takeo updated them on his progress with the new drills being taught to the unseated officers. Fifth Seat Mei explained how the patrol officers were getting on in their World of the Living jurisdictions. Sixth Seat Kubo lied about how much of Toshiro’s completed paperwork he had delivered to the other divisions (typical). Other seated officers explained how their recent troop visits to the Rukongai had gone. Nothing particularly interesting was mentioned.

“Lastly, we need to finalise the student recruitment before the Spiritual Arts Academy graduation in two weeks,” Isshin read off his clipboard agenda. Toshiro had made that clipboard for him as well as the carefully written agenda, as before that Isshin was writing notes on his hand and hoping they weren’t smudged too much by the time he got to the briefing. “How are we with that one?”

Isshin glanced down at the seated officers, looking amongst them for an answer. Obviously he had forgotten who he assigned that task to.

“It’s finished, Sir,” Toshiro called up to him. “I put it on your desk this morning for your review.”

“Oh good boy,” Isshin flashed him a smile that made Toshiro’s shoulders straighten. “When was that due again?”

“ _Next_ Friday,” Rangiku supplied, with an eye roll.

Toshiro shot her a glare, and she responded by sticking her tongue out at him.

Some responsible Lieutenant, she was! How was she the same woman that had saved his life in the Rukongai? Rangiku was like an older sister – she was extremely annoying, though deep down Toshiro loved her (albeit deep, _deep_ down).

Isshin didn’t seem surprised at this news, but he was still impressed.

He beamed at Toshiro proudly, “Well done, Kid!”

“Thanks, Dad,” Toshiro had replied automatically.

Suddenly the squad froze. The birds in the sky seemed to freeze too, and everyone turned to look at him.

Toshiro frowned and shifted uncomfortably, feeling hundreds of eyes turn to him.

“Why is everyone staring?” he asked no one in particular. They were all listening.

“You called Captain Shiba ‘Dad’,” Takeo, the squad’s fourth seat and probably the only soldier that was always nice to Toshiro, answered quietly.

“No I didn’t,” Toshiro argued immediately, flushing bright red. “I said ‘Thanks, Sir’.”

“You said ‘Thanks, Dad’,” Kubo, the sixth seat, corrected with a smirk.

Toshiro’s face was on fire. As much as he wanted to continue to deny it, he knew he had said ‘Dad’ the moment Takeo informed him of the fact. How could be so stupid?! How did he let that one slip out?

Of course, he didn’t actually think Isshin was his father, but… well, every time the captain beamed at him with pride, Toshiro wanted him to be.

_It was so silly._

“Yeah you did!” a voice called from the back of the crowd – an unruly unseated officer. “We all heard you.”

There were some chuckles then and Toshiro looked down at his feet. This was so humiliating!

“Toshiro, do you see me as father figure?” Isshin asked brightly, his voice playful.

“No, of course not,” Toshiro barely kept his annoyed tone at bay. “I see you as a… a-a bother figure… because you’re always _bothering_ me. Sir. And it’s ‘Hitsugaya’. Sir.”

“Hey!” that same voice from the back called. “Show your father some respect!”

More laughter, this time far louder.

“I didn’t call him ‘Dad’!” Toshiro turned around and shouted back at the voice.

He was losing his cool fast – like Toshiro needed another reason to be made fun of in a division where he was already the youngest and smallest by miles. They hated him. They said he was cold, and childish, and too immature to be in a third seat’s position just because he was powerful and good at paperwork.

“No, no, Kid,” Isshin chuckled, smiling playfully when Toshiro looked back at him. “I take it as a compliment.”

Toshiro’s face was probably redder than Lieutenant Abarai’s hair by now. He wanted so badly to flash step away.

“Don’t worry about it, Toshiro!” Rangiku smirked cheekily from up on the stage. “I call Captain Ichimaru ‘Daddy’ all the time.”

More laughter, and Isshin shot her a warning look.

“He’s not old enough for that,” Isshin hissed at her. “When he calls me ‘Daddy’ it doesn’t mean the same thing.”

“I didn’t call you ‘Daddy’!” Toshiro shouted, forgetting for a moment that these two were his bosses. “I’ve never called you that.”

Of course these two would team up against him. Rangiku was wild – nothing was too inappropriate for her to mention – and Isshin was charismatic, charming his squad into more laughter and grins. Together they could make the squad feel playful and at ease, all the while inspiring devotion from their soldiers.

It worked on everyone but Toshiro.

“But you did say ‘Dad’,” Kubo offered unhelpfully.

“You shhh,” Toshiro hissed at him. “You’ve done nothing but lie all morning.”

Isshin threw the sixth seat an interested glance and Toshiro raised a challenging eyebrow at the man. Discreetly crossing his fingers, Toshiro prayed this would be the distraction everyone needed to forget he had just called the captain ‘Dad’. He didn’t care who he threw under the bus at this point.

“Alright, I lied about the paperwork,” Kubo held his hands up in defence, chuckling, “but I’m not lying about you calling the captain ‘Dad’.”

“I told you he lies!” Toshiro turned to look pointedly at Isshin. This was not the first time they’d had this discussion.

“I believe you…” Isshin’s disappointed eyes left Kubo to meet Toshiro’s. Hopeful teal beamed up at proud brown, _“Son.”_

Toshiro deflated as more laughter erupted in the quadrangle. This was definitely the most embarrassing moment of his afterlife.

He stared at his shoes, face on fire and eyes stinging. He refused to cry though. He refused to give the squad what they wanted. He wasn’t a child. He was a third seat, damn it!

In his peripheral vision, Toshiro saw Isshin gesture to their audience to shush.

Suddenly the man was popping into Toshiro’s personal space and Toshiro barely withheld the glare as the man crouched in front of him, determined to see his face.

“You okay?” Isshin asked, hand squeezing Toshiro’s shoulder encouragingly.

Toshiro shook it off. “I’m fine… Captain.”

“Do you want to talk about it later?” Isshin offered. “Maybe over a game of Spinning Tops?”

Toshiro swallowed. He loved playing Spinning Tops with Isshin, but he didn’t like talking. He also didn’t like the Squad knowing he played silly childish games.

He shook his head and turned his stare back to his feet. Isshin regarded him for a moment before he sighed and stood back up to full height. Toshiro felt him move away and hop back on the stage.

“Alright, everyone back to work,” he called loudly. “Dismissed!”

Toshiro flash stepped away so quickly, he could probably have broken the Soul Reaper speed record.

That was how he had found himself on top of the officer dorms roof. He wanted to curl up in his bunk and cry into a pillow, but the dorms were never empty. Off-duty officers would be in there sleeping, reading, mucking around. He didn’t need them to see him more humiliated than they already had that morning.

Thankfully Toshiro had completed all his paperwork for the week so hopefully he wouldn’t get in too much trouble for not heading into the office after the briefing.

Toshiro had no idea how he was going to face anyone later, but hopefully whatever drunken scandal their lieutenant caused this weekend would be enough to distract the squad for a while.

Until then, Toshiro just needed a moment’s peace to get his emotions back in check and some of the heat out of his cheeks.

“Hey, Kid,” Isshin’s voice called from behind him.

_A moment’s peace ruined._

Toshiro ignored him. Any other captain would have reprimanded him for that, but luckily Isshin wasn’t any other captain.

Unfazed by the cold reception, Isshin ambled over to Toshiro and groaned as he lowered himself to sit on the tiled roof. It wasn’t exactly comfortable up here, but no one could see them and that’s what Toshiro liked about it.

He also liked it for its view of the stars at night, though the roof of Isshin’s office was actually more comfortable for a long night of star gazing.

“How are you feeling?” Isshin asked once he was seated.

“Fine,” Toshiro lied.

“Are you coming back to work today?”

“I finished all my work for today.”

“Then are you coming to play Spinning Tops with me?”

“No.”

“Chess?”

“No.”

“A card game?”

“No.”

“How about to tease Rangiku?”

Toshiro hesitated on that one. He did enjoy helping his captain gang up on their lieutenant, and after this morning, Rangiku probably deserved it.

A slight smirk formed at the thought and Isshin chuckled and poked his cheek gently.

“There’s that smile,” he sighed happily.

The smirk quickly vanished and Toshiro shot him a glare, to which Isshin laughed loudly.

“Come on, Kid,” Isshin nudged him. “Let’s go back to the office, it’s almost lunch time anyway.”

Toshiro swallowed and shook his head; he didn’t want to see anyone that wasn’t Isshin or Rangiku.

“They’re going to laugh at me,” he explained pitifully when Isshin refused to go anywhere without him.

“I won’t let them,” Isshin threw an arm around Toshiro’s shoulders and brought him closer. “They’ll get over it by this afternoon.”

“How do you know?” Toshiro asked, his voice muffled now that he had turned to bury his face in Isshin’s haori.

Isshin sighed and rubbed Toshiro’s back gently.

It was hard, when they had moments like these, for Toshiro to not think of Isshin as a parent. The man had welcomed him into his family, had enrolled him into the Academy and every Thursday night, Toshiro accompanied Isshin back to his family home for their weekly ‘family dinner’, not to mention the fact that Isshin had been the one to eventually name him.

“When I was at the academy, there was this nasty old bat who taught Seireitei History…” Isshin began.

“Mrs Ito?” Toshiro asked, removing his face from the white folds of the haori and frowning up at his captain.

“Still there, is she?” Isshin raised an eyebrow at Toshiro. “She’s got to be about a million years old now.”

Toshiro shrugged. “She was there when I went through the academy. She liked me.”

“All your teachers liked you,” Isshin commented dryly. “You actually did your homework.”

“They told us to?”

“Anyway,” Isshin ignored that. “One day, I accidentally called Mrs Ito ‘Mum’ and the whole class laughed. Ito, the old hag, called me out in front of everyone about it.”

Toshiro frowned deeply at that, trying to imagine a younger version of his captain calling the meanest teacher in the academy ‘mum’ when his real mother was the loveliest woman in existence.

“Just habit from using the word so much,” Isshin shrugged, answering Toshiro’s unspoken question, “but the point is, my classmates forgot about it very quickly. Aizen tripped over walking out of the classroom and suddenly everyone thought that was funnier.”

“That’s awful,” Toshiro chuckled, imaging Captain Aizen stumbling out of a classroom to the sounds of laughter.

“Then why are you smiling?” Isshin teased and Toshiro rolled his eyes and shrugged.

He didn’t hate Aizen, but he hated how Momo fawned over him. It was more annoying than anything else, so it was even worse that the man was so humble and nice and just damn perfect. The idea of him tripping was oddly satisfying, and that probably made Toshiro a bad person.

“I promise you,” Isshin grinned, standing up and holding a hand out to Toshiro. “By lunchtime today, no one will remember the briefing this morning. They’ll have something else to laugh at by then.”

Toshiro knew that Isshin couldn’t actually promise that, what with lunchtime being in three minutes time, but knowing he had his back made him feel better. The third seat took the outstretched hand and allowed Isshin to lift him up. Together, they climbed down from the roof and headed back to the office.

They were walking past the division canteen, that was full of seated and unseated offices alike on the start of their lunchbreaks, when out of the blue, Isshin tripped over.

He was okay, but he landed face first on the dirty path.

Again, the squad erupted in laughter, and Isshin winked at Toshiro as the third seat helped him stand.

“I promised you, didn’t I?” Isshin murmured quietly, only for him to hear. _“Son.”_

“Thanks,” Toshiro flushed, but he was happier about it now. _“Dad.”_

Parent or not, Isshin was his family in this afterlife, and so was Rangiku. They were his afterfamily.


	2. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isshin was homesick - but maybe he was already home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all, back again with some Isshin perspective!  
> For reference, I have made him the older brother of Kaien, Kukaku and Ganju, though in canon is like their uncle or something?
> 
> I will try and update twice a week, but this may change when I go back to work post-lockdown (date TBA).

Isshin massaged his shoulder as he walked through the dark halls of his barracks. He had been in meetings all day with the other captains. It was very rare that they all met and for so long, but once a year Yamamoto liked to pull everyone together for a ‘development day’. It was long and tedious, and Isshin hated it. His only entertainment for the day was watching his old friend Shunsui Kyoraku falling asleep under his low tilted straw hat. He might have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for the snoring.

The Squad Ten captain groaned as he felt a knot in his shoulder muscles and tried to roll it out with his thumb.

Ten hours, stuck in a chair, in the stuffy old First Division Meeting Hall.

Some days he hated this place.

He hated the politics of it all; Central Forty-Six, the Noble Clans, everyone with a massive stick up their butts. Not that Isshin could really call out the nobles since he was one. Not just any old one either, but the clan leader of one the four major houses.

Still, he hated almost all of them.

Except his own family, of course – his mother, his sister, his two brothers, even his sister-in-law. He missed his late father very much too, and he felt awful he couldn’t be home to spend time more time with his widowed mother.

She must have been going crazy, cooped up all day in that big house, with no one but Kukaku and Ganju for company. They were definitely the wildest of the Shiba siblings, what with that fireworks business they had and their less-than-sweet personalities.

Isshin usually tried to spend weekends at his family home, if work permitted. Regardless, every Thursday night was family night, and Isshin never missed that. He brought Toshiro along too, because gods know that kid needed his mother’s cooking. Rangiku would come too, on the nights she didn’t plan to go out partying.

Arriving at his Captain’s Quarters, Isshin sighed outside the door.

This wasn’t home.

He would quit the Gotei Thirteen if he didn’t have a family reputation to uphold and a responsibility due to all the Souls that could benefit from his division’s activities, and if he didn’t have a squad that had become like family.

Turning on his heel, Isshin left his quarters and made his way towards his office. While he figured the last thing he wanted to do was spend any more time in an uncomfortable chair doing any form of work, the captain decided that spending his evening alone and bored in his empty quarters would be far worse.

It was late too, but not late enough for him to sleep. Late enough, however, that all of his squad members would be off duty and getting ready to settle in for the night, less they had night patrol duties.

Isshin had missed dinner, and he knew the canteen would be closed at this hour. His stomach rumbled, but he ignored it.

He felt sick anyway.

_Homesick_ – but what was the difference?

Making his way back through the dark halls, Isshin nodded to the odd passing squad member, each bowing low in respect as he passed.

Finally, he reached the office. Sliding across the door and stepping inside, Isshin flicked on the light, flooding the room into brightness.

He wasn’t surprised to find a large stack of Toshiro’s paperwork on his desk, neatly piled for him to check off before it went out to the other divisions for co-signing. He was, however, surprised to find a plate full of dinner sitting on his desk. It was covered with foil, and Rangiku’s elegant handwriting scrawled across it.

_‘Your favourite! Remove foil and heat for five minutes, stir half way. – Ran’_

Isshin smiled gently down at it, lifting the foil enough to see that it was indeed his favourite – katsu chicken curry – on the plate underneath.

As lazy a lieutenant as Rangiku was, she certainly made up for it in the way she looked after everyone on the squad. She remembered their birthdays, she made sure they were getting proper night’s sleep, and of course, she made sure they didn’t miss a meal. Of course she had known he would return here instead of his quarters.

Taking it to the microwave – a nifty little human invention he had discovered in the World of the Living one day and the first of many inventions to follow him home – Isshin followed the instructions to heat.

Carrying the hot plate over to the office couch, Isshin placed it down. It wasn’t until he sat down on the couch and glanced up at the couch opposite him on the other side of the coffee table that Isshin saw them.

He stifled a laugh, but the smile stretched over his lips widely.

Rangiku and Toshiro curled up together asleep.

It was a rare sight, though a beautiful one.

Rangiku was a cuddle monster, a very affectionate young woman. Toshiro was not affectionate in the slightest, but when he was caught tired enough, a sleepy Toshiro could be coerced into a snuggle. He was pretty pliant in general when he got too drowsy to argue.

If Isshin had to guess, he would suggest that after a long day of doing both all their paperwork, the kid had collapsed on the couch exhausted. Rangiku – never one to pass up a cuddle opportunity – had curled up with him after sorting out Isshin’s dinner. The scene was so clear in his head, and Isshin chuckled at the thought.

It was nice seeing them sleeping peacefully together. They were such angels when they were asleep – absolute demons when they were awake.

They definitely had a sibling relationship. All they did was bicker and pull faces at each other. Isshin rarely stepped in unless he had a migraine or a hangover and they were being too loud. Occasionally they would get along enough to play board games or to read a book together.

Unfortunately this morning it had been the bickering subordinates he got to witness.

_“You look so tired, Toshiro,” Rangiku giggled as the boy sat at their shared desk with a suffering sigh. “Bad sleep?”_

_“No,” Toshiro huffed. “You drank all the coffee, Lieutenant… again.”_

_Isshin glanced up at Rangiku from his own desk, throwing his second in command a pointed look – so that was why there was no coffee left. Rangiku lazed about on the couch, a steaming cup of coffee in her hand, seemingly unconcerned._

_“You’re too young to drink coffee,” Rangiku teased and Isshin internalised the groan, knowing that comment could get a rise out of the young third seat and frankly, it was too early for their bickering, especially since the captain was also under-caffeinated._

_“I’m not a baby,” Toshiro hissed from his desk. “If I was I’d spend all day lazing around like you.”_

_Gone were the days when that kid was too afraid to stand up at his superiors._

_“Hey now,” Rangiku took offence. “I’ve been here all morning. You might have got coffee if you had come into the office as early as me.”_

_“You slept here,” Toshiro bit back, “because you got drunk at Lieutenant Iba’s party and couldn’t find your way back to your quarters.”_

_Rangiku’s retort was instantaneous but Toshiro wasn’t finished and they talked over the top of each other, their voices rising as they tried to be heard over the other._

_“That’s enough!” Isshin snapped, calling over them and standing abruptly. “I’m going to my meeting._ Behave _today_ , _both of you.”_

_They were silent then, though he was sure they were making faces at each other behind his back. Still, Isshin revelled in the quiet for a second, as he picked up his Zanpakuto and headed for the door._

_“Someone order more coffee,” he added with a huff at the door, before he disappeared into the hallway, knowing already that this was going to be a long day._

To them, Isshin felt like more of a father than anything else. Well, other than a captain of course.

When he first met Rangiku, Isshin had been very attracted to her – who wouldn’t be? – but he quickly found himself falling into a different role. He became protective of her, like he was over Kukaku when she was younger and more innocent. Rangiku was too old to be his actual daughter, but immature enough to be one. He had done things fathers normally do for their daughters, or at least things he knew his own father had done for Kukaku. Isshin had held Rangiku while she had cried, cared for her while she was sick, taught her to do her paperwork (or at least to delegate it), he taught her to drink (Isshin regretted that one), Hell he had even punched her ex-boyfriend in the face. He had become her mentor, her friend, her family.

_Rangiku had been Isshin’s lieutenant for three weeks when she suddenly burst into tears in the middle of their shared office. Alarmed, Isshin hovered close to the strawberry blonde woman, but he didn’t touch her._

_He wasn’t used to seeing girls cry around him, and Rangiku was new to his squad. He didn’t know how to approach her._

_“I can’t do it,” she sobbed before Isshin could ask. “I’m so useless.”_

_Isshin hesitantly placed his hand on the woman’s shoulder as she continued to sob into her hands, hunched over her lieutenant’s desk._

_“You’re not useless, Lieutenant,” Isshin offered somewhat lamely, suddenly wishing he had picked an unemotional male lieutenant instead._

_It was shallow, but he had picked Rangiku because she was beautiful. Sure, she was a fire type like him, and her shikai was certainly lieutenant-level powerful. She had also looked at him with big blue eyes during her interview, and that it made it hard to deny her._

_Also Shunsui, her captain at the time, had recommended her for the job._

_In hindsight, Shunsui was probably not the best Captain to take a recommendation from. Isshin should have asked Nanao how Rangiku got on as a third seat to get a better perspective._

_Alas, Isshin hadn’t cared. Rangiku was good looking and he was a playboy._

_“I’m awful at the paperwork,” she sniffled. “Lieutenant Ise always did it.”_

_Isshin sighed. He was not mature enough for this, but he should have been. He was older, and he was a captain. He shouldn’t have picked a lieutenant for her beauty, and now he was paying for it._

_“It’s not that hard, let me see,” Isshin told her, picking up the paperwork she was currently crying onto, and winced. It was budget-related and Isshin sucked at that too. His last lieutenant had handled it._

_He sighed again. He couldn’t help her with this, but he could teach her the most important thing he had learned to do as a captain – delegation._

_He called in the third seat, Watanabe. He was an older Soul Reaper now, not very quick on the battlefield anymore, but he was good at the paperwork. He was approaching retirement but Isshin was going to hold onto him for as long as possible – he dreaded replacing his number one desk-driving soldier._

_At least now he knew not to promote pretty girls who didn’t have the experience behind them._

_Still, it wasn’t too late for Rangiku, and Isshin had made a promise to mentor her into a fine lieutenant. She had potential there was no denying that, especially in how she fought. So she lacked paperwork skills? So did Isshin._

_Watanabe collected the paperwork wordlessly and retreated out to his regular desk at the back of the administrative building where it was ‘quieter’._

_“The first rule for being a good lieutenant,” Isshin pulled his sleeve over his hand to wipe away Rangiku’s tears, “is to act confident. Act like you know what you’re doing and they’ll believe you. The second rule is simple – make sure the third seat can do the paperwork and don’t piss him off.”_

_Rangiku chuckled wetly, wiping her nose._

_“Thanks, Captain.”_

Well it had been decades since then now, and Rangiku had blossomed as a lieutenant, though she regularly pissed of their current third seat. She had morphed from being the pretty girl he unethically hired, to the gorgeous young woman who didn’t tolerate his questionable behaviour anymore, and one he was extremely proud of.

Maybe she wasn’t a daughter so much as she was a niece or a young cousin, maybe even another younger sister. Regardless, she was his family and he vowed to take care of her – though he did spend a fair amount of time having to discipline her too.

They were as bad as each other, and it was a wonder how Toshiro put up with them like he did.

Toshiro now, he definitely felt like Isshin’s son. The captain wasn’t sure at what point Toshiro had morphed into being that random child Rangiku found in the Rukongai to _his_ kid, but it had happened. At first, Isshin hadn’t trusted the kid in the slightest, not with that icy Spiritual Pressure or the way he had grown close to Isshin’s mother, Mari, but now those two giant teal eyes beamed up at him and Isshin honestly melted. He would give that kid the world if he could. He couldn’t, but he had tried his best – making Toshiro feel welcome in his home with his family (eventually), getting the kid fed so he didn’t look like such a walking skeleton, getting the kid enrolled into the academy, and recruiting him to the Tenth the second he graduated. He wanted that boy close, because gods know he wasn’t going to let anyone hurt him on his watch.

_“Don’t you just look adorable in that little uniform!” Rangiku squealed to Toshiro as they walked him to the Spiritual Arts Academy gates. “I didn’t know they made them that small.”_

_They didn’t. Mari had spent the better half of yesterday altering smallest size they could get to fit the scrawny boy._

_“I am not adorable,” Toshiro shot Rangiku a look._

_Isshin bit back the smirk – they had quickly learned that the kid didn’t like to be referred to anything that made him feel small and pathetic, including ‘adorable’, ‘cute’, ‘little’ or ‘child’. Of course, Mari got away with calling him all of those things, but Toshiro wouldn’t deny the Shiba clan matriarch anything._

_Toshiro was determined to be brave, to protect the people he cared about. Since Isshin had named him, the kid walked around with his head higher, and his shoulders straighter. His confidence often wavered, but when it was there, he was determined to act like a man much older that he was._

_It was mildly amusing, given he looked like a human eight year old._

_They reached the Academy gates and Rangiku was of course getting emotional, hugging Toshiro and telling him how proud and excited she was that he was going to school to become a Soul Reaper like them. Isshin sent her away, starting to notice that Toshiro was looking terribly nervous, his uncontrolled Spiritual Pressure wavering with anxiety and causing passing Souls to do a double take, their expressions ranging from confused to somewhat fearful._

_“You’re going to be alright, Kid,” Isshin squeezed Toshiro’s shoulder and walked him through the gates._

_The captain had been reluctant to let the kid enrol in the school since Soul Reaping was no career for a child, but Toshiro had aced the entry exam and Isshin couldn’t deny the fact the kid needed to get his powers under control urgently. It had him feel responsible for the kid now, like his life and his future were on Isshin now._

_“What if I fail?” Toshiro asked suddenly, stopping abruptly on the path, face paling. “The Academy doesn’t give second chances! I’ll have to go back to Hitsugaya a-and-”_

_“You’re not going back to Hitsugaya,” Isshin assured the kid, “and you’re not going to fail.”_

_“But what If I do?” Toshiro asked then, teal eyes impossibly wide, and Isshin had to expel a small amount of his Spiritual Pressure to stop the ice spreading out of Toshiro._

_Isshin knew why he was scared – the Academy was his chance to turn his life around, but if he failed and got kicked out… Well, he would have to return to the Rukongai and would likely starve himself to a second death, and that was only if he managed to avoid the Hollow attacks._

_“Then I will train you myself,” Isshin told the boy, “and we’ll feed you.”_

_“Really?”_

_Teal eyes were hopeful._

_“My mother wouldn’t have it any other way, and neither will I,” Isshin rolled his eyes playfully, and a hesitant smile tugged at the kid’s lips. “Now come on, you don’t want to be late on your first day.”_

_Toshiro nodded and they continued walking up towards the main building of the school._

That’s when it had really hit Isshin that he was responsible for a kid and – _wow_ – he had to grow up so much. Gone were the days of endless drinking and a new woman in his bed every night. He had never wanted children, had never planned to settle down, but Toshiro had come into his life and like a sword, he had cut right through Isshin’s heart. There wasn’t a thing in the world Isshin wouldn’t do for that kid.

Looking at the two of them sleeping peacefully, Isshin figured maybe he was already home.

Isshin sunk back against the office couch, chopsticks pressed to his lips in contemplation.

‘Home is where the heart is’ – wasn’t that the saying? Well Isshin’s heart was here, asleep on the opposite couch.

Placing his chopsticks down, Isshin stood and leaned over the coffee table. He reached for the blanket over the back and pulled it across the sleeping forms. Smiling softly to himself, Isshin brushed Rangiku’s hair off her face, and made sure Toshiro’s arms were tucked into the blanket before he sat back down opposite them.

Spying Rangiku’s left over sake, Isshin scooped up the bottle and drinking cup and poured himself a small amount. Sipping on it, Isshin nodded to himself.

Yeah, this was home alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I’m building some curiosity about when they first met Tosh~  
> (You will get it… eventually)
> 
> Please kudos and comment if you get a chance! It fills my heart with joy and fuels my passion for writing ^.^


	3. Cooking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rangiku is cooking for her date tonight, but she needs Toshiro to taste test for her.

“Okay Toshiro,” Rangiku sung as she scooped up some sauce onto the wooden spoon, and turned towards the young third seat. The boy was sitting on the kitchen countertop, patiently waiting to taste test for her. “Try this for me.”

Obediently, Toshiro opened his mouth and Rangiku gently spooned the sauce onto his tongue before stepping back to observe his reactions. Toshiro’s mouth closed as he swallowed it, and immediately he made a face, a full shiver rolling down his back.

Rangiku instantly deflated.

“No good?”

“Salty,” he stuck his tongue out, his eyes wider than normal.

“Good salty?” Rangiku asked, hopeful despite the boy’s expression. Salty was good! Rangiku loved salt in her food and drink.

“Water please!” Toshiro requested. He was doing something weird with his tongue, moving in and out of his mouth, as if collecting saliva to rehydrate the appendage.

Rangiku sighed and reached around him to the sink, filling up a glass of water and handing it to him. The child downed the water like his life depended on it, which didn’t fill the lieutenant with any confidence.

She turned back to her sauce on the stovetop, using the wooden spoon to gather herself a small sample. She put it in her mouth and swallowed-

“It tastes good!” she exclaimed, turning on Toshiro accusingly.

“It tastes like the ocean,” Toshiro disagreed, distaste frozen to his face, “if all the water had evaporated and only the salt was left.”

Groaning, Rangiku turned back to the sauce and frowned deeply at it.

She had always known her taste buds were stronger than others. She was far more adventurous with her food, certainly more than Toshiro, but what would Gin think of it?

Today was Gin’s birthday, and Rangiku had planned to have the newly appointed Squad Three Captain over for a special dinner. Her present to him was a beautifully cooked meal by her; she had the dining room all set up and even had decorations in place. The only thing she hadn’t decided on was the food to serve.

Gin always cooked for them, and while Rangiku generally found his meals to be rather bland in comparison to what she would normally cook for herself, it was nice that he liked to take care of her. For his birthday, Rangiku just wanted to take care of him too.

“Maybe with the meat and rice it won’t be so bad?” Rangiku murmured, more to herself than anything but Toshiro still made a doubtful hum.

“You mean that salted meat that’s also very salty?” he asked, eyeing the meat in the other pan with just as much distaste.

No, he hadn’t liked that one either, nor did he like the rice which Rangiku had to admit was clumpier than it should have been. The boy had swallowed the meat like he had accidentally swallowed a slug and then he had shuddered so hard, he almost fell off the bench.

“I’m starting to think you have no taste buds, Toshiro,” Rangiku shot him a glare.

“I won’t after this,” the third seat muttered back.

Huffing, Rangiku turned back to the sauce. She needed a way to take away from the saltiness of it all, but how to do that? Well, what was the opposite of salt? Sugar.

Smirking triumphantly, Rangiku moved swiftly to the pantry and returned with the sugar packet, pouring half its contents into the sauce and stirring madly.

“Combine!” she yelled at it, and turned up the heat on the stovetop.

Toshiro watched, eyebrow raised but quiet. She ignored the hesitant look on his face as he sighed in resignation and filled his glass of water back up, seemingly in preparation.

The sugar didn’t seem to dissolve into the sauce as much as Rangiku would have liked, so the texture of the thick liquid became a _tad_ grainy. It tasted fine though, in her opinion – like sweet and sour sauce, except salty.

Toshiro, on the other hand, gagged when he tried it.

“I don’t know what’s happening in my mouth!” Toshiro complained, tilting his chin up and refusing to swallow the sauce. He looked rather distressed. “Lieutenant, please help me!”

Rangiku rolled her eyes and held out a napkin for him to spit into.

“And you tell me I’m dramatic,” Rangiku shook her head at the boy, folding up the spit napkin and throwing it in the trash.

“What are you doing?” a male voice called and Rangiku glanced over her shoulder, seeing her captain standing in the doorway, looking confused.

“Just barging in now, are we, Captain?” Rangiku teased Isshin.

“I live here,” Isshin pointed out, head doing a double take when he saw the dining table set up nicely and balloons resting against the ceiling. “These are my quarters, not yours.”

“Yes well, I need to borrow it tonight,” Rangiku hummed, turning back to her sauce, pondering if she could add some kind of liquid to it to make it less grainy – maybe some strawberry milk? That would pair nicely with the onions and capers, maybe draw more of the saltiness out.

“You need to borrow my Captain’s Quarters?” Isshin repeated dumbly, taking a bit of a standoffish stance at the kitchen entrance, his chin raised challengingly.

“For my date tonight with Gin,” Rangiku explained, rummaging through the Captain’s refrigerator. He didn’t have strawberry milk but he did have chocolate milk for when he had Toshiro over, and Rangiku figured that was close enough. “Your place is nicer for having company.”

She ignored Isshin’s spluttered response, covering it by rattling some of the items in the fridge around.

Rangiku took the chocolate milk out and quickly moved back to the sauce, pouring a significant amount in.

“Cleanse your pallet,” she murmured, handing the rest of the bottle to Toshiro who gratefully accepted the familiar drink.

“You’re not using my place, Matsumoto,” a distracted Isshin said, the captain now circling the set up dining table and flicking the glittery directions with annoyance. He sniffed the air and frowned. “And what in Yamamoto’s name are you making over there?”

“I’m playing around with a few ideas for a sauce to go with my smoked meat,” Rangiku hummed as she stirred, straight up ignoring the first thing her captain said. She spooned up another mouthful and moved towards Toshiro with it. “Open up.”

Much more pliant now that she had given him the chocolate milk to drink beforehand, Toshiro wordlessly accepted the next sample.

He swallowed it and instantly coughed, eyes going wide.

“Good?” Rangiku asked, beaming hopefully at the kid.

“N-no,” Toshiro stammered, shaking his head. “B-bad, very bad.”

“What?!” Rangiku exclaimed in disbelief. “I put chocolate milk in, you should like that!”

Still shaking his head and looking largely panicked, Toshiro shifted on the countertop and spat into the sick.

“What are you feeding him?” Isshin asked, voice much closer and sounding concerned, and when Rangiku turned he was hovering over her sauce. “Rangiku, this is curdling!”

“So’s my tummy,” Toshiro groaned, voice weak.

Isshin’s eyes snapped up to the boy and he moved quickly to the third seat.

“Rangiku, he’s going green,” the captain huffed.

“Maybe he’s allergic to something?” Rangiku offered with a slight wince. Toshiro _did not_ look good, his skin going a grey-ish green kind of pale.

Isshin shot an impatient glare at her. He lifted Toshiro down off the bench and pushed him gently towards the bathroom.

“Go wash your mouth out,” he ordered the boy, “and then lie down for a few minutes.”

“I think you’re being dramatic, Sir,” Rangiku straightened. “My sauce is not that bad.”

Isshin turned back to her with a glare.

“Stop using him as your taste tester,” he said firmly, in the strict father-type mode he had only adopted after Toshiro had come along. “You’re going to poison him one day.”

Rangiku sighed deeply, and turned back to the sauce.

It had curdled now, the whole thing looking thick and lumpy, and giving off a rotten smell.

“Clean that up,” Isshin ordered pointedly before he followed Toshiro to the bathroom.

Rangiku’s shoulders sagged. Now what was she supposed to do? Gin was supposed to be here in an hour and she had no sauce, and no ideas on what she could make him for dinner at this point that wouldn’t send him the same shade of grey-ish green.

Dejected, Rangiku sighed and gave up. Pouring the sauce down the sink and flushing the lumps down with water. She cleaned up the stove stop and Toshiro’s water glass, throwing away the discarded chocolate milk bottle. She packed down her decorations and dining set up, throwing everything harshly back into the box she brought it over in.

She was the worst girlfriend ever. She couldn’t even cook a meal for the man she loved!

Sinking down onto one of the dining room chairs and holding her head in her hands, Rangiku grimaced at the fact she was going to have to just give Gin her body as a gift again this year.

She heard Isshin’s footsteps returning.

“How is Toshiro?” she asked.

“He’ll live,” Isshin replied dryly and though she didn’t see the eye roll she knew it was there.

“Gin’s going to dump me,” Rangiku pouted.

“No, he’s not,” Isshin sighed.

“I can’t cook!” Rangiku wailed.

There was another suffering sigh from Isshin then – a sigh that was long and full of regret.

“He doesn’t have to know,” the captain murmured.

Rangiku glanced up at him in confusion. Isshin was dragging his hand through his short pitch black hair, eyes sweeping over the now clean kitchen.

“Give me half an hour,” he explained eventually. “Go set up your dinner in _your own_ quarters. I’ll cook up a quick curry and bring it over. You can pretend you made it if you want.”

Rangiku’s eyes went wide.

“Really?” she asked excitedly, standing again and starting to feel hopeful that her date night wasn’t completely ruined.

“Yes,” Isshin agreed, sounding as though he was already regretting his offer.

Rangiku squealed and launched herself at him, arms hugging him tightly around the middle.

“You’re the best captain ever, Sir!”

Isshin returned the hug for a few quick seconds before he was untangling himself from her.

“Go quickly,” Isshin grumbled, “before I change my mind.”

Rangiku didn’t need to be told twice, quickly collecting her decorations box and scrambling from the room.

As she exited the quarters she heard Isshin call back out to their third seat.

“Toshiro!” Isshin sung. “Come to the kitchen, your taste testing duties are required again.”

From somewhere in the back of the flat, Rangiku heard the boy whimper.

_Whoops._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What are younger siblings for if not to make them try all your disgusting food inventions?  
> My poor brother suffered many a taste testing disasters back in the day. Soz bro!
> 
> Please comment if you liked this chapter! ^.^


	4. Granny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Granny's birthday, and Toshiro is struggling to come up with a gift idea for her.

Toshiro sat at his desk in the Squad Ten Captain’s Office, tapping his pen against the wooden desk top and bouncing his knee under the table, anxiousness stirring in his stomach.

Rangiku had disappeared for the afternoon – citing there was a SWA Meeting, though Toshiro knew that the SWA only met on the first Friday of the month and today was the third Tuesday of the month – while Isshin had gone to see Captain Kyoraku about some paperwork, though again Toshiro suspected he was being lied too as he was certain Captain Kyoraku’s designated sake and nap time was eleven to five every day, and now it was after three o’clock.

Regardless, Toshiro was appreciative of the peace and quiet he had that afternoon since he was already tense and didn’t need his crazy superiors adding to his stress levels today.

See, Granny’s birthday was in two days. Toshiro was going with his captain to see her in the evening for dinner and he still didn’t know what to get her for a birthday gift.

He wanted to get her something amazing, like she deserved because she had looked after him when no one else would. He never spoke to Isshin about it, but Toshiro had known that he was only weeks, if not days, from reincarnating (i.e. dying _again_ ) due to starvation when Granny had decided to take him in and feed him, despite the protests of certain individuals.

Granny had saved him. As had Rangiku, but Toshiro had more than repaid that debt by now, having held her hair back while she threw up sake and whatever else on one hundred and twenty-seven different occasions to date.

Granny had not been repaid, and Toshiro didn’t think he ever would be able to.

She had welcomed him into her home. She had fed him, clothed him and bathed him. She had tried to put a roof over his head at night, though Toshiro had never stayed back then. He hadn’t had control over Hyorinmaru yet, and he had been terrified of freezing her overnight, or making her terribly sick.

She had stuck her neck out for him, defending him.

She had told Toshiro to call her ‘Granny’ and he did, because that’s all she had asked for in return.

He needed to get her a good gift. He needed to get her an _amazing_ gift, but his ideas were coming up short.

Toshiro huffed and turned to look out the office window, as if that might inspire him. Officers, seated and unseated, milled around the barracks. He could see them sparring out in the training grounds, but they gave him no gift ideas.

Groaning, Toshiro turned back around and let his head drop to the desk with a dull thud. He hit his head a couple more times on the cool timber, just for good measure.

Some genius brain he had, he couldn’t even come up with a gift idea.

“Jeez Kid, rough day?”

Toshiro lifted his head off the desk to look tiredly at Isshin who had just returned. The captain’s cheeks were pink, and he was wearing his haori inside out, the sleeves of which hadn’t properly been pulled over his shoulders.

“Have you been drinking?” Toshiro eyed him cautiously.

Isshin laughed.

“Just a little,” he smirked, winking at Toshiro before he made his way over to the couch, throwing himself across it in a way that wasn’t dissimilar to how Rangiku might. At least Isshin had short hair so Toshiro wouldn’t be required to hold that back if he was sick later.

Toshiro hated it when his superiors drank. Rangiku was the worst, but it was now so common for her to be drinking in the office, it almost seemed normal. Isshin was better, rarely getting actually drunk, but he was more annoying when he did.

“Come on, Kiddo,” Isshin slapped the couch cushion. “Come tell Daddy your problems.”

Toshiro rolled his eyes sufferingly.

“You’re my problem,” he muttered, and picked up another stack of paperwork and brought it towards him.

“Come on,” Isshin chuckled, “the paperwork can wait a moment, and I can be serious.”

Toshiro tossed the captain a glance, and the man grinned toothily back, his inside out haori making him look even more ridiculous.

Well, he couldn’t give Toshiro fewer ideas at this point because the boy was still stuck on zero.

Sighing, Toshiro stood up from the desk, and went via the office kitchen, returning to the couches with a large jug of water plus a glass and some bready and honey.

“Drink this,” Toshiro told the captain, filling up the glass and handing it to him, before he squeezed some honey onto a slice of bread and slapped another piece on top to make a sandwich, “and eat this.”

“Yes, Sir,” Isshin saluted him cheekily, taking a sip of the water. “You’re already acting like a captain, Toshiro. Would you like to wear my haori?”

“Would you?” Toshiro shot back at him, gesturing to the side that had now fallen off the captain’s broad shoulder entirely, and hung loosely around his bicep.

Isshin glanced at it and shrugged, taking a huge bite out of his honey sandwich.

“You know, these are surprisingly good,” he waved the honey sandwich at Toshiro, “just like my mother made me when I was a kid.”

Toshiro made sure the food and water were close to Isshin on the coffee table before he sat himself on the couch opposite.

“Granny makes them for me when I visit,” he told the captain.

“I bet she does,” Isshin murmured between chewing.

“Speaking of,” Toshiro sighed, folding his legs and leaning forward on couch, elbows resting on his thighs, “I still don’t know what to get her for her birthday.”

“You have been mulling over this for days now, Kid,” Isshin sighed, leaning back against the couch, bringing his sandwich with him. “You could give her a stick you pick up on the way there and she would love it. She adores you.”

“I’m not getting her stick,” Toshiro frowned. “I want to get her something special.”

“Like what?”

“If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking you.”

Isshin’s grin was annoying and Toshiro huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

The stress of trying to find a nice gift for Granny was really getting to him now. He’d had it on his mind for weeks, he had even been saving his money up to buy her something expensive but no decent ideas had come to him.

“What ideas are you toying with?” Isshin asked then, maybe sensing the rising stress in his third seat, as he leaned back over the coffee table to make himself a second honey sandwich, which of course he made mess of.

“I have no ideas,” Toshiro pouted.

“None at all?”

“Well I thought of buying her something nice,” Toshiro shrugged, “but I don’t know what’s nice that she would like.”

“That is a tough one,” Isshin hummed unhelpfully, picking up the sandwich and leaning back into the couch again, honey dripping out of the bread and onto the black uniform covering his chest. Toshiro shot him a slight glare.

“Well, you’re a noble, rich man,” the third seat pointed out. “Surely you can think of something that’s nice?”

“None that are in your budget range, Kiddo,” Isshin chuckled.

Toshiro huffed, running his hand through his hair in stress.

He didn’t care that he had been poor his whole afterlife, he didn’t care that his third seat salary was only enough to buy, at most, one treat a month. He had accommodation and three meals a day covered thanks to Squad Ten, and that was really all he needed or wanted on most days. It was only hard when he wanted to buy something for someone else who deserved it, and he couldn’t.

Letting his head fall to his hands, his elbows digging harder into his crossed legs, Toshiro breathed deeply. He only had two days to figure this out and then actually go out and purchase his final decision (provided he could afford it). Time was running short and Toshiro was getting severely anxious now.

“Why don’t you get her flowers?” Isshin offered.

“You’re getting her flowers,” Toshiro pointed out without looking up.

“Oh yeah,” Isshin hummed, just remembering. “Remind me to pick some out on the day.”

Sure, Toshiro would add that to his list of stress.

“I want to get her something special,” Toshiro murmured, starting to feel very defeated. “She’s done so much for me, she brought me in and looked after me when no one else-”

He felt Isshin’s eyes on him and stopped, knowing it was a bit of sensitive topic for both of them and it was easier to dance around it than address it.

Toshiro swallowed, “I just… I want her to know how I much I care about her, that’s all.”

There was a moment’s silence, and the third seat could feel Isshin’s gaze regarding him from the other couch. He didn’t look up though, keeping his head in his hands, his thumbs rubbing his aching temples lightly.

Eventually, Isshin sighed.

“I think you’re going about this the wrong way,” he admitted. “Granny wouldn’t want you to buy anything for her, and she will probably feel guilty that you felt you needed to.”

“I need to get her something,” Toshiro argued, tired of having to explain this all again.

“Make something then,” Isshin suggested.

“Like what?” Toshiro frowned, lifting his head up to see his captain sipping on water carefully, sobering up slowly.

“I don’t know, Toshiro,” Isshin shrugged. “A card, an artwork, some bead jewellery, a trinket box with pasta stuck to it. I don’t know what the kids are making these days.”

Toshiro’s brow furrowed deeper; he would rather reincarnate than give his special Granny a trinket box with raw pasta decorating it.

Isshin laughed seeing his face at that suggestion and Toshiro pouted again. Isshin was one of the few people in the whole Soul Society that ever saw him pout.

“She will love anything that you give her,” Isshin told him at last, the captain groaning as he pulled himself up off the couch, “just because it’s from you. She will be so happy that you even thought about it, so don’t stress too hard.”

Toshiro glanced up at Isshin and the man smiled kindly back down at him. He made a good point about making something instead of buying something, and also that Granny would appreciate the thought that went into it even if the gift wasn’t perfectly crafted.

As Rangiku often said, ‘It’s the thought that counts.’

Though, she generally said that when she was giving people ‘hug coupons’ for gifts. Toshiro wasn’t giving Granny ‘hug coupons’.

“Thanks, Captain,” Toshiro murmured, nodding to himself, mental gears churning again.

Satisfied, Isshin ruffled Toshiro’s hair with his sticky, honey-covered fingers which got stuck in there for a moment. Toshiro winced and pulled himself away as the captain chuckled.

“Alright I better go wash,” he laughed, heading to the door. “Really consider the flowers idea, okay?”

“You’re the one getting her flowers,” Toshiro reminded him with an exasperated sigh.

“Oh yes, that’s right,” Isshin recalled, slipping out of the door. He called back from further down the hallway. “Remind me!”

Pathetic, that one. Honestly, he was useless.

Toshiro sighed and returned to his desk, quickly finishing off the paperwork for the day before he too went to wash the honey out of his hair.

He had a new direction to take, lots of thoughts in his mind, and little time to decide on one.

* * *

Two days later, Toshiro arrived at the Captain’s Office with his final gift idea in his hands.

He hoped Isshin would think it was good, otherwise he was doomed. They were due to visit Granny that evening for dinner in Junrinan, leaving no time to come up with an emergency Plan B.

It was a surprise to find the captain already at his desk and work diligently, a steaming cup of coffee on the desk and the early morning sun streaming in through the windows.

“Am I late?” Toshiro asked in shock, never having found the office occupied in the mornings, as both Isshin and Rangiku generally slept in and ambled in sometime after morning tea. The exception being if they (read: Rangiku) had slept there overnight as a result of heavy drinking and not getting back to their own beds.

Isshin snorted from the desk.

“No, you’re punctual as always,” Isshin chuckled, glancing up from the desk. “I came in early so we could finish and head off to Junrinan early. I still have to pick up those flowers too.”

“You remembered?” Toshiro smiled, heading to his own desk and popping his gift down.

“Well it does sink in once you’ve yelled it at me twenty times in three days,” Isshin sighed and Toshiro grimaced.

He often overstepped the boundaries a third seat probably should in how he spoke to his captain and lieutenant. Though he, Isshin and Rangiku were sort of a dysfunctional family now days and both of them had definitely crossed the professionalism line when they dealt with him, but it was probably not the best idea to speak to his captain like that. Isshin didn’t seem upset or even fazed by it, however.

“What have you got there?” the captain asked, nodding towards the gift Toshiro had placed on the desk.

Toshiro beamed, collecting it and brought it over to the captain, holding it out.

“It’s my gift for Granny,” he told the older man. “Do you think she’ll like it?”

Isshin blinked at it.

“Did you buy it?” he asked. “It looks expensive.”

“No, I made it like you suggested,” Toshiro informed him, feeling self-conscious now. Isshin frowned in disbelief and the third seat felt the need to explain further. “It’s Hyorinmaru’s ice.”

Surprise flickered on the captain’s face and he reached out to touch it, flinching back a moment as he often did when he touched things that were too cold ( _fire types_ – they’re so dramatic). Recovering, Isshin touched the sculpture again, this time taking it into both hands and looking closely at it.

“You made this?” he asked for clarification again, but this time he sounded impressed.

Toshiro nodded, “I was up all night.”

The idea had come to him late yesterday afternoon. He had started the day fresh with Isshin’s suggestion from the day previous to make something instead of buying it. Toshiro had been leaning towards making a card and maybe a drawing of sorts, since Rangiku still loved and proudly displayed the first card he had ever made her, shortly after she had found him in the Rukongai and saved him from a Hollow.

But, as it turns out, Toshiro was horrible at drawing, also at painting and, believe it or not, card making.

He had even snuck into Rangiku’s quarters to find the one he had made all those years ago, and frowned in disgust when he found the thing on her mantle. It looked like a toddler had put that thing together; he had no idea why she even kept it.

With that idea thrown into his mental trash can, Toshiro had racked his brain all day for another decent idea. He had even entertained the pasta box idea for a minute before he came to his senses.

He had been starting to feel really down on himself, miserable about the fact that he had no talents outside of sarcasm, paperwork and swordsmanship. He had been glaring at his Zanpakuto about the situation he was left in when the idea had suddenly come to him.

He had one particular talent that he hadn’t considered – ice sculpting.

“It’s beautiful,” Isshin murmured, turning the sculpture over, his fingers tracing the smoothly crafted lines and features, and the delicate engraving Toshiro had managed to get on neatly.

Toshiro straightened, the compliment filling him up with pride for his work.

He had done it by hand and hadn’t needed to take any breaks, the cold not as much an issue for him as it was other souls. It had taken all night though, so he hadn’t slept a wink (and would definitely need to take an afternoon nap before they left).

“Do you think so?” Toshiro asked. “Will Granny like-”

“She’ll love it,” Isshin grinned at him. “Truly she will. It’s very thoughtful.”

Toshiro beamed, unable to stop the smile of relief that followed.

* * *

Toshiro and Isshin arrived at Granny’s right on time, the old woman greeting them with a huge smile and an even bigger hug. Isshin handed her the flowers and kissed her cheek, and Granny elbowed him gently, telling him he spoiled her.

After dinner, Toshiro presented Granny with her gift and the older woman had pulled him onto her lap so they could open it together. She had been so surprised and humbled that Toshiro had wanted to give her something, especially when Isshin teased him about how stressed out he had been in front of her. Toshiro was bright red, and Granny made him promise to never worry about that again, that his presence in her life was present enough.

That had pulled at his cold, dead heartstrings.

He climbed into her lap as her arms came around him, reaching past for the gift bag he had placed on the table in front of her.

Pulling out the ice sculpture, Granny gasped, her eyes going wide with shock and delight.

“You made this?” she asked, voice sounding surprised.

“With Hyorinmaru,” Toshiro nodded, explaining. “It will never melt… unless a strong fire type takes a slice at it.”

He shot Isshin a look and the captain chuckled over his sake cup, “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Toshiro, this is…” Granny choked on her words, voice thick, and Toshiro blinked up at her, seeing her glassy eyes. “It’s beautiful.”

“Do you like it?” he asked and Granny nodded until a little tear left her eye.

Toshiro glanced at Isshin in alarm – he hadn’t meant to make the woman cry!

Isshin waved him off, unconcerned.

“Look at the engraving,” Isshin pointed out to Granny.

Granny turned the sculpture in her hands and gasped, spotting the engraving that ran over the spine of the swirl.

_‘Collapsing Whirlpool of the Crashing Heaven – Shiba Clan’._

The sculpture was that of the Shiba clan’s family symbol, a sort of fish hook design that spiralled in on itself. With the blue hue of the ice, the symbol really did look like a water filled whirlpool, and Toshiro had covered it with delicate and subtle wave-like patterns.

“I traced back as many ancestors of the clan that I could find,” Toshiro explained further, “their names are engraved on the back, and I put the current clan names on the front.”

Speechless, Granny lifted the ice sculpture of Shiba clan’s noble house symbol under better light and found the list of names, running her fingers gently over all her family ancestor’s names. She stopped briefly over one – her deceased husband’s name – and smiled softly. She then turned the sculpture back around and found the current clan’s names, starting with her own.

_Mari, Isshin, Kaien, Kukaku, Ganju, Miyako._

There was room to add more names too, for the future generations that would come.

“This is the most beautiful gift, Toshiro,” Granny sighed contently. “Isn’t it?

Around the table, the other Shibas – Kukaku, Ganju, Kaien and Miyako – nodded in agreement.

Smiling softly, Toshiro sank into Granny’s side, the woman putting the sculpture down for a moment to hug him close.

“Isshin, pop my gorgeous gift on the mantle with the photo frames,” Granny ordered, “and for goodness sakes, take down that macaroni trinket box you made me when you were a child.”

“Hey, I put a lot of effort into that!” Isshin laughed, eyes going wide with mock offence.

“You can put it the back room,” Granny shrugged.

“Sure thing, Mother,” Isshin rolled his eyes. The captain stood from the table, picking up the sculpture and heading towards the main living room mantelpiece. He threw Toshiro a wink as he went and the kid grinned into Granny’s kimono.

Isshin wasn’t Mari Shiba’s favourite child (it was definitely Kaien), but Toshiro was her favourite grandchild. Well, he was the only one and he wasn’t even a real one, but the love he held for her was very much real.

And, as Rangiku always said, it was the thought that counts, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How do we feel about Toshiro’s Granny being Isshin’s mother?  
> Obvs this is one of the less canon compliant parts of the fic ahaha. Drop a comment to let me know what you thought :)
> 
> EDIT: My good friend Chaotic_Dreamer has pointed out that the word 'Mari' can mean mer or sea in French/Latin- which I didn't realise but is a really cool coincidence given the Shiba clan's symbol and also in relation to Kaien's Zanpakuto! Good spot Chaotic_Dreamer <3


	5. Drunk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rangiku wants a nose job, Toshiro is acting weird and Isshin is frustrated.

Unfortunately for Isshin and everyone else in Rangiku’s life, the lieutenant had discovered celebrities. Worse than that, she had discovered _human_ celebrities, and they were by far the worst.

It was all about the physical beauty – the clothes they wore, the diets they were on and the money they spent on medically altering their looks.

_“Cosmetic surgery,”_ Rangiku corrected one day when they were arguing about the merits of it all, “allows you enhance your appearance to a place you’re happier with it. Captain, so many girls hate the way they look and cosmetic surgery lets them fix those things so they can be who they want to be.”

“But then they’re losing who they are now,” Isshin argued, but why he was entertaining this discussion was beyond him, “and who they are now might actually be better.”

“It’s about confidence, Sir,” Rangiku huffed. “Girls need to be more confident and they can achieve this through surgery.”

Isshin found it deeply unsettling that Rangiku Matsumoto, arguably one of the most beautiful women in the whole Soul Society, was having body issues.

“I agree that women should be more confident in their looks,” Isshin sighed as they rounded a corner in the division hallways, “but I am still not signing off on you to take leave so you can your nose altered.”

Rangiku wanted a ‘nose job’, as she called it, which apparently involved actual surgery to reshape the facial feature. That was the newest celebrity fad she had gotten caught up in. Apparently her nose was ‘too big and too ugly’ – Isshin thought she was being completely ridiculous. Toshiro did too, though the kid didn’t really understand it; he thought Rangiku was getting her nose removed altogether, leading to a number of humorous bickers between the lieutenant and third seat.

“But why not?” Rangiku whined, unable to comprehend anyone saying ‘no’ to her at the best of times.

“Because I said so,” Isshin explained pointedly, marching through the halls towards the office. “Because you’re already very beautiful and you don’t need it, and your boyfriend agrees with me.”

“Gin is just saying that,” Rangiku sighed.

“Besides,” Isshin continued, “you heard what Isane said and I’m not letting you anywhere near the Twelfth for such a procedure.”

Today Rangiku had dragged him to the Squad Four hospital for a consultation appointment with the division’s lieutenant. Isane had straight up not recommended Rangiku go through with it, firstly because the Fourth Division was really too busy with their live-saving surgeries to be handling silly cosmetic ones, and also because the Fourth didn’t have a trained cosmetic surgeon.

“The only Soul Reaper that I could think of that has specialised in that sort of area would be Captain Kurotsuchi,” Isane had said, a barely disguised shudder racking her body and Isshin had agreed.

No way was he letting that psychopath operate on his lieutenant. Rangiku would leave the place in a body bag, not with a new ‘more petite’ nose.

“You’re ruining my life, you know that?” Rangiku moaned and Isshin shrugged.

“I’m saving it, actually,” he muttered, continuing on his route back to the office.

Rangiku continued to complain of course, the whole way there.

Eventually they made it to the office. Isshin uselessly hoped that Rangiku would get annoyed enough to storm off and sulk for a few hours, but alas, she followed him.

They entered the office, finding Toshiro in his usual spot at his desk (it was technically Rangiku’s desk but she never used it), the third seat scribbling madly on a paper.

He glanced up at them when they entered. He looked flustered, his cheeks a little pink – not unusual when the boy got stressed.

“Your nose looks the same!” Toshiro accused, seemingly outraged as his eyes narrowed at Rangiku suspiciously.

“That’s because Captain won’t let me get it altered,” Rangiku whined and flopped down on the nearest couch dramatically.

“So now I have to suffer?” Toshiro groaned, more theatrically than Isshin was sure he was capable of.

What was with these two today?

Annoyed, Isshin rolled his eyes and moved to his own desk. He was too frustrated to do any paperwork but he need to put some space between him and his lieutenant.

“She’ll get over it,” Isshin huffed, “when the new trend comes along.”

“This is all I have _ever_ wanted,” Rangiku sighed hopelessly from the couch.

It was all she had ever wanted this week, perhaps.

Isshin could only glare at her from his desk, since verbal arguments were going unlistened to.

Suddenly there was a sharp poke in his cheek and Isshin flinched away as a messily folded origami plane fell from his cheek, landing on his desk lightly.

From his desk by the window, Toshiro giggled.

Isshin shot him a confused look – Toshiro _never giggled_. He was the one child in the world that didn’t giggle. Chuckled occasionally, laughed rarely, but not once had Isshin heard the kid _giggle._

“Open it,” Toshiro’s eyes were wide, his grin stupid, and he was leaning dangerously over in his chair.

Hesitating for a moment, Isshin eventually managed to drag his surprised eyes away from the little third seat and to the paper plane on his desk. Picking it up and unfolding it, Isshin frowned down at the paper. It was a horrifically drawn picture of Rangiku (though not so horrific that Isshin couldn’t work out what it was), and in the middle of her face, there was only a red scribble (presumably a blood splatter) for a nose.

Glancing back up at Toshiro, the third seat giggled again, miming cutting off his own nose.

“I saw that,” Rangiku hissed from the couch.

Toshiro blew a raspberry at her.

A _raspberry._

Toshiro _didn’t blow raspberries_ , just like he didn’t giggle. Yet, now he had done both in the space of mere minutes.

“Bit early in the week for you to get the sillies, isn’t it?” Isshin raised an eyebrow at the boy.

He rarely got ‘the sillies’, to be fair. He was the most mature kid Isshin had ever met; he generally only got playful when Isshin or Rangiku managed to egg him on come late Friday afternoon, and after they’d filled him with especially sugary ‘end of the week treats’.

“You’ve got the sillies,” Toshiro scoffed and rolled his eyes, shifting his weight back in his chair, dangerously leaning the other way now.

“Toshiro!” Isshin called, alarmed. “Be careful! You’re going fall off-”

He wasn’t even done saying it when the boy squealed (Toshiro _didn’t squeal_ ) and fell off the other side of the chair. He landed on the office floor with a sharp thud and Isshin was out of his own chair in a split second, rushing to the boy’s side.

Even Rangiku looked alarmed as she sat up on the couch, half off and ready to help if needed.

When Isshin reached Toshiro, he was looking up at the ceiling, dazed and confused.

“You alright, Kid?” Isshin asked, kneeling down to make sure the boy hadn’t seriously hurt himself.

Toshiro didn’t react for a second, but groaned a moment later.

“Head hurts,” he winced, his little hands coming up hold his head.

“Well, that’s what happens when we’re silly and fall off our chairs,” Isshin sighed and reached down to help his third seat back up.

What he didn’t expect then was for the boy to burst into tears.

“I’m sorry!” Toshiro cried, covering his face and sobbing into his hands.

Toshiro _didn’t sob_ , he barely cried.

Isshin threw an alarmed look at Rangiku who looked back at him with an equally lost and concerned expression.

Isshin picked Toshiro up and held him against his side, resting most of the weight against his chest so he could use a free hand to feel the back of boy’s head for a bump or a gash.

“Where does it hurt?” he asked, standing up and growing very worried about the crying child.

“Feel sick,” Toshiro hiccupped through the tears, one hand fisting Isshin’s haori tightly and the other arm snaking around his own stomach as if to hold it. His words almost sounded slurred.

“Concussion?” Rangiku asked from the couch.

Isshin was about agree with her and suggest they take him to the Fourth, or at least have their own squad medics check him out, but when Toshiro’s face moved to bury itself in Isshin’s neck, the captain caught a whiff of his breath.

Isshin froze. It was faint but it was definitely-

“Have you been drinking?” Isshin asked Toshiro, eyes going wide in shock.

Toshiro _didn’t drink._ And not like he didn’t giggle, or squeal, or sob. He was a child – he didn’t drink. He didn’t even like it when Rangiku and Isshin drank. He had never touched the stuff, and Isshin was almost convinced he never would, even when he got old enough to.

“Jus’ tea,” Toshiro sniffled, and his words definitely slurred that time. “Taste’ funnililily.”

Isshin spotted the tea cup over at Toshiro’s desk and moved quickly to it, still carrying the boy against him. There were a couple of mouthfuls left in the tea cup, and when Isshin lifted it to his nose, he could just smell that same trace. One sip, and he knew categorically that there was alcohol in it.

The captain had consumed enough vodka mixers in his youth to know the spirit when he tasted it. He also had consumed enough vodka mixers in his youth to know he shouldn’t drink it now, lest he wanted a killer hangover in the morning.

“Rangiku,” Isshin’s teeth gritted as he turned on the lieutenant. “Why is there vodka in our third seat’s tea?”

_Because who else?_

The lieutenant looked entirely guilty.

“Whoops,” she squeaked.

“Lieutenant!” Isshin yelled, causing Toshiro to whimper into his shoulder.

A child in his care was drunk and potentially about to be sick, now was not the time to say ‘whoops’. Isshin placed the tea cup back down and used that hand to pat Toshiro’s back gently, hoping to sooth him a little.

“Well you know how I’ve been on that juice and tea diet?” Rangiku winced, standing abruptly and headed towards the office kitchenette.

“What about it?” Isshin seethed, feeling like he already knew where this was going.

Rangiku had been on a stupid juice and tea diet for a few days now – another one of those dumb celebrity fads she had discovered on her last mission to the World of The Living. She was now banned from the Living World, Isshin decided right then, for at least a decade.

“Well I-I was starving, b-but I wanted to stick with it,” Rangiku stammered, “and I know that I always forget about eating when I’m drinking so I…”

“You put alcohol in your tea?” Isshin finished.

Rangiku grimaced and nodded. She had the deep green communal tea pot in her hands now and opened it up to look inside, wincing when she saw the contents.

“Toshiro uses that tea pot, Rangiku!” Isshin hissed. “We all do.”

“I know!” Rangiku recoiled. “I thought I had tipped it out this morning before we left, but obviously I f-forgot…”

Isshin could have killed her. Honestly, he could of, and the glare he sent her was nothing short of murderous.

How could she be so stupid?! To leave vodka mixed in with tea in the pot they shared? Vodka was a spirit that was easiest to disguise when mixed in with something else. It had little taste and even less of a smell, probably why she had chosen to use it over her preferred sake. Isshin barely smelled it, and Toshiro – _an inexperienced child_ – would hardly have registered that the tea tasted much different, let alone thought to be concerned about it.

“Sick,” Toshiro’s weak voice reminded them, and Isshin felt the boy’s uncomfortably warm forehead press against his neck.

Yelling at Rangiku could wait.

“Call for one of our medics,” Isshin ordered, already striding for the bathroom.

He didn’t wait for Rangiku to acknowledge the order, prioritising getting his third seat in front of a toilet bowl quick smart. Thankfully he had, as just a few seconds after being put down in front of one, Toshiro vomited his guts out.

Isshin felt useless. All he could do was pat Toshiro’s back and tell him he was going to be okay. Isshin had never specialised in healing, only enough to heal superficial open wounds on the battlefield. That’s all a captain needed.

In all fairness, he and Rangiku had endured enough hangovers to know that very little, including magic healing, could fix it.

Rangiku returned with one of the Squad Ten medics a few minutes later. They weren’t as skilled as the ones at the Fourth but they knew more than anyone else in the squad did.

Toshiro continued vomiting, and when he wasn’t vomiting he was sobbing into Isshin’s chest. The poor kid was so drunk, he had no idea what was going on.

“Third Seat Hitsugaya isn’t reacting well to the alcohol,” the medic stated the obvious after checking Toshiro over and observing his symptoms for a while, “likely due to his age, size and inexperience, but he will be okay once it passes.”

Isshin sighed deeply, glad to hear that last part.

“When will that be?” Rangiku asked.

“Well I would say it’s already starting to fade out,” the medic gestured to Toshiro, who was slumped tiredly against Isshin, having not thrown up for several minutes now. “Let him sleep it off. He might feel a little nausea when he wakes up, but it shouldn’t be too severe or last too long.”

“My hangovers last all day,” Rangiku frowned.

“You drink a lot more, Lieutenant,” the medic answered matter-of-factly, and Isshin would have snorted back a laugh if it were any other situation. “Plus Hitsugaya’s metabolism is significantly faster than yours, he will process the alcohol quicker.”

Isshin thanked the medic and Rangiku showed him out. Toshiro was exhausted – he had stopped vomiting and crying thankfully, and he seemed much closer to his usual self now, albeit a much more tired, confused and quiet version.

Isshin didn’t feel comfortable putting Toshiro in his bunk in the shared officer dorm to sleep, especially since he slept on the top bunk and the captain couldn’t guarantee he wasn’t going to fall out of it in this state like he had the chair.

Instead he had Rangiku retrieve the kid’s blanket and pillow, and a light yukata for him to sleep in. She returned and changed him, Isshin giving them a moment of privacy in the bathroom together. He heard Rangiku apologise to Toshiro but whether or not the boy took it in or even really understood what had happened in the first place, he didn’t know.

At the end of the day, Isshin knew Rangiku loved Toshiro like a little brother, and that guilt would be eating her up inside. He wouldn’t have to be so hard on her later.

Isshin set up the couch to be a bed for the kid so that he could keep any eye on him over the rest of the day, and helped Toshiro into it when he returned from the bathroom with Rangiku.

“Still feel sick?” Isshin asked softly, pulling the blanket up over Toshiro’s small shoulders.

He’d probably have to source a bucket to put by the couch in case Toshiro did wake up vomiting.

“Jus’ tired,” was the sleepy response, his voice hoarse from all the vomiting and crying.

Isshin nodded and brushed the boy’s hair back off his face as his eyes fluttered closed.

“Is Matsumoto still getting her nose taken off?” the boy asked suddenly, as if he had just remembered, eyes cracking open just a little.

To be fair, Isshin had forgotten all about that, and it hadn’t even been that long ago.

“For the last time, it’s not getting cut off,” Rangiku sighed in exasperation. “I’m just getting it shaped prettier.”

“But you’re pretty already?” Toshiro frowned, eye lids drooping like they were getting hard to keep open.

“That’s what I said,” Isshin murmured, continuing to stroke Toshiro’s hair because he knew the boy found it soothing, “and Gin, and Isane, and-”

“I get it,” Rangiku shot Isshin a look.

“Look Rangiku,” Isshin sighed. “At the end of the day, I can’t stop you. What you do with your spare time and your body is your business and if you want to use your leave up on that, well then it’s your call.”

“Really?” Rangiku asked him, voice soft and surprised.

“Yeah,” Isshin nodded slowly in resignation. “But for the record, I don’t think you need it, and neither does Toshiro.”

Toshiro hummed in tired agreement, but Isshin was fairly certain he hadn’t heard a word of it, other than maybe his name.

Rangiku gave Toshiro a weak smile. She didn’t respond to Isshin’s words but she did look thoughtful, contemplating it. Isshin would support her at the end of the day, he just wanted her to genuinely think it through first. Changing her nose shape couldn’t be just another celebrity fad she wanted this week but not next week, because the surgery would be permanent.

And if she did decide to go through with it, Isshin was sure as Hell finding her a better surgeon than Mayuri Kurotsuchi.

“Thanks, Captain,” Rangiku murmured eventually.

“You’re welcome,” Isshin sighed, feeling Toshiro’s breathing become deep and even with sleep. He smiled softly at the boy, before he shot Rangiku another, far sharper, look. “No more diets. No more vodka in tea pots.”

Rangiku grimaced guiltily at that but she nodded. Isshin was sure he should probably ban all alcohol from the office altogether, but baby steps.

For now, it was enough to know that Toshiro was safe, and Rangiku was reconsidering the nose job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Accidentally drunk Tosh was inevitable xD
> 
> Next week we start exploring Toshiro’s origin story! Maybe some of the hints I’ve been dropping will make sense :)
> 
> If you liked this chapter, let me know in a comment below :)


	6. Toshiro (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rangiku finds a little boy with white hair, teal eyes and ice cold hands in the Rukongai.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We will now look into how Isshin and Rangiku met Toshiro in three parts! 
> 
> Note: This chapter is *not* canon compliant, and in my version of the Soul Society, everyone needs to eat regardless of if they have Spiritual pressure.

Rangiku _hated_ patrol duty, and to be assigned it on a Saturday no less!

It was a beautiful summer’s day. She should be lying in the Squad Ten gardens, getting a tan and drinking sake.

She was a lieutenant, she was above patrol duty. She was above weekend duty of any description, but _patrol duty?!_ It was boring, painfully so. If she did see a Hollow on her shift, Rangiku would cut it down in two seconds at most. Imagine the most thrilling part of your eight hour shift lasting no more than two itty bitty seconds.

The other seven hours, fifty-nine minutes and fifty eight seconds of her shift would involve aimless walking around, maybe jumping up onto some rooftops to ‘get a better view’ of the nothing districts, feeling for any indication a Hollow was approaching.

Patrol duty sucked, and Rangiku hated that she was being forced to do such a menial job in her position as lieutenant and second seat of Squad Ten.

Alas, going on a four day bender and forgetting to show up for work when she already had mountains of overdue paperwork was enough to make her captain snap and punish her with weekend patrol duty.

The lieutenant huffed and kicked a small stone as she walked the streets of the Hitsugaya district.

Hitsugaya wasn’t exactly the closest district to the Seireitei gates either. It was nestled deep in a valley, about as west as west could go in the Soul Society. It was the eightieth, and last, district in West Rukongai. It was quiet, uninteresting, and significantly poorer than most other districts – the population was low due to the low survival rate. Still, there was beauty in Hitsugaya’s natural landscape – the deep valley, the rolling hills, the vivid greenery. In winter, snow covered the hills creating a stunning backdrop which was in stark contrast to the appalling state of the township.

It felt weird travelling through the West Rukongai districts to get there, from Junrinan’s (first district in the West) noble side where prominent families such as the Shibas lived, through the seventy eight districts in between. Districts ranged from crowded and bustling, to almost completely abandoned in the wake of horrific poverty, the latter more common the further Rangiku had travelled. Eventually she had made it to the completely rundown district of Hitsugaya, and the deeper into to Hitsugaya’s valley centre she drew, the more decrepit the buildings got. The air felt more dangerous, though not from any approaching Hollows.

Souls passed her in the streets, some moving quickly and throwing her a glare, others too tired and too hungry to even notice her passing. There were people slumped against buildings and Rangiku didn’t know if they were dead, sick or just sleeping, but it had been drilled into her not to approach the resident Souls. It was not her job and there was nothing she could do unless Central Forty-Six got off their asses to help their citizens. Rangiku’s job wasn’t to give them something to eat, but to stop them being eaten themselves. _Go figure._

Though, and she wouldn’t tell anyone this, she did carry a few sweets for the children when she saw them. They didn’t deserve this, especially not after dying in the Living World so young and being forced apart from their families.

It was awful to watch, because Rangiku too had been placed in a poverty-stricken district upon her death in the Living World, and if it hadn’t been for Gin, she would have starved herself to a second death.

Rangiku’s Captain, Isshin Shiba, was on the opposite end of the scale. Born into one of the major four noble clans, the guy had never known what hunger was. His father had passed away a few months ago, so now he was the clan leader himself, and Rangiku knew it came with its own problems and pressures, but Isshin could never say he had slept outside in the mud under nothing but the pouring rain.

Isshin was a good man though, Rangiku wouldn’t take that away from him, even if he did punish her with patrol duty on a weekend, in as far away a district as Hitsugaya. He cared for his family, both of them – the Shibas and his squad.

Rangiku hopped up on to a chimney top and sighed, glancing over the small township that had formed in Hitsugaya’s valley. The breeze was nice up there, cooler than being on the ground on this balmy summer day, especially in her full black uniform.

It had grown quieter since her arrival, as people generally hid away indoors when they saw the Soul Reaper uniform. Most children, if they had found new families since arriving here, had been brought inside too, so Rangiku couldn’t see anyone to give her special treats away to.

Well that was until she saw _him_ anyway.

Rangiku did a double take when she spotted a little boy sitting tiredly under a tree, staring up at her with vague interest. He had white hair, whiter than even Captain Ukitake’s, and big innocent eyes. He was skinner than a skeleton, not that it was possible.

Hesitating just a moment, Rangiku hopped down off the chimney, walking down the length of the slanted roof she was on and slipping back down to the warm ground gracefully. The boy held her eye contact, but Rangiku could see the fear in his eyes as she approached. He was obviously too exhausted or sick to run from her, or too polite but Souls in the Rukongai were rarely that.

“Hello,” she tried to smile brightly at the boy when she drew closer.

He didn’t say hello back. The fear was in his eyes still, but now that Rangiku was closer she saw curiosity in them, albeit very distrustful curiosity. His irises were a vibrant teal, the most gorgeous things she had ever seen.

If this kid had been a human, she would have guessed he was maybe seven or eight years old. It might have been the age he had died at, but it was often hard to tell how long a Soul had been milling around the Rukongai for.

As she got closer, she caught the boy flinching back from her, the fear in his face increasing as his gaze snapped to the sword strapped to her hip.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Rangiku told him quickly, voice sweet as she crouched by him. “I have food for you.”

She slowly reached into her pocket and pulled out a clothed bag, showing him as she opened it up, revealing the contents.

“Amanatto,” she told him. “Candied beans, they’re sweet.”

She offered him some, and the boy hesitated for several moments, but obviously the hunger he must have been feeling won out and he timidly reached out and accepted a sugar bean. Rangiku smiled at him as he put the bean in his mouth. His face gave nothing away as he chewed and swallowed.

“Good?” she asked when he then went for another and she handed him the whole bag.

“Good,” he confirmed, eating them quicker now that he knew they weren’t poison; the poor thing must have been starving. “Thank you.”

It was muttered but she heard it, and it was more than Rangiku expected from a Rukongai child.

“My name is Rangiku,” the lieutenant smiled at the boy. “What’s your name?”

The boy shrugged and continued to eat the beans.

Rangiku frowned, “You don’t know your name?”

Again the boy shrugged, “No.”

It was very rare that Souls came to the Soul Society without at least the memory of their names, though it was possible, such as with Captain Zaraki and his little lieutenant, Yachiru. Both of them didn’t know their human names. Most Souls did remember their names, but forgot all else. Some remembered much of their old life when they first arrived but forgot shortly after, and some remembered it for centuries. Rangiku herself was in the first category of those who had forgotten everything but her name instantly, but she knew Gin still had some memories of his human childhood.

Rangiku sighed and looked at the boy, noticing the way she could see his collarbones and rib cage through his ripped and dirty t-shirt. He was also wearing shorts, both items of clothing were typical of the modern Living World, which meant he had either being wearing them since he arrived, or had picked them up from someone else’s trash.

He was malnourished, very weak, and sweating in the heat, Rangiku noticed when she saw the sweat beads collecting on his forehead. He hadn’t tried to move much since she had approached him, and Rangiku was starting to suspect that was because he _couldn’t_ move.

“Do you have someone here who looks after you?” Rangiku asked the boy, but she suspected not.

The boy shook his head, continuing to eat the beans like his life depended on it – and it probably did.

“How long have you been in the Soul Society?”

The boy paused to think on that one.

“I’ve seen four moons,” he answered eventually, before he shrugged again. “Maybe more.”

So at least fourth months. Rangiku sighed, running a hand through her hair.

She hated this. Here was an innocent child, starving and frail, who would certainly die before he saw his fifth moon if he didn’t get help, except that clearly no one had offered to take this boy in during the four months he had been here and Rangiku wasn’t supposed to do squat with the kid – heavy penalties applied for Soul Reapers who interfered with the Rukongai residents, even those on their death beds. The only hope there was for the kid was that he would die without much pain, and then he would get reincarnated into a far better life.

Sometimes, Rangiku hated being a Soul Reaper.

“Thank you,” the child’s voice broke her from her retrieve and Rangiku glanced down to see him handing back the now empty cloth bag for the beans.

He beamed at her, eyes wide with gratitude and also hope. The fear was gone, so was the distrust – but he shouldn’t have trusted her.

Rangiku sighed internally – how could she leave this boy here to die?

She took back the bag, her fingers gazing his as she did so and immediately she flinched back in shock. The boy’s fingertips were ice cold, like _colder than death_ cold. At her reaction, the boy flinched away too, a small whimper leaving his lips as he curled in on himself a little, hands retreating and hidden behind his knees.

“Sorry,” he said, and he sounded it, eyes flickering back down to Haineko.

“No, no, it’s okay,” Rangiku held up her hands, away from the hilt of her sword. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

The boy was breathing heavily, almost panting in fear. Rangiku could only stare at him in shock. He was sweating in the heat, but his hands were cold, like he had been playing out in sub zero weather without gloves. She felt it then, the quiet magic around the boy – quiet but not weak.

This boy had Spiritual Pressure – very raw Spiritual Pressure.

“Can I?” Rangiku held out her hands while nodding to his.

Slowly and uncertainly, the boy lifted his hands out and Rangiku reached forward to touch them again.

They were cold to touch, but not unbearable once the initial shock wore off. She turned over his hands and felt his palms. Now she really could feel the Spiritual Pressure inside him and the more she focused on it, the harder it was to believe she hadn’t noticed it in the first place.

“You hear a voice, don’t you?” she murmured to the boy, whose eyes snapped back to her. Of course he heard a voice. “Do you see it in your dreams?”

“Dragon,” the boy answered and Rangiku blinked at him. Dragon Zanpakuto were rare, she knew of very few, most of which existed only in the history books now.

“Do you know his name?”

The boy shook his head, “He’s muffled.”

Rangiku nodded in understanding. She expected as much, most Soul Reapers didn’t hear their Zanpakuto’s voice clearly until their final year at the Academy, though most of them didn’t have ice type dragon Zanpakuto and most of them weren’t children as young as seven or eight in human years.

This, however, gave Rangiku options to help this boy. A Soul with Spiritual Pressure could be saved. He could go into the Spiritual Arts Academy, get trained up and join Soul Reapers in the Seireitei. The Academy would be reluctant, due to the child’s age, but if he passed the entry exam, they had to take him, it was the law.

Rangiku opened her mouth to suggest the boy come with her, but the boy’s eyes snapped up and away, staring over her shoulder.

“Monster,” he gasped and started to move, his tired and weak limbs struggling to coordinate and help him up.

Rangiku barely had time to register it before she heard the roar.

Hollow.

The lieutenant had been too focused on the child’s Spiritual Pressure, she hadn’t felt the approaching monster. Whipping around, Rangiku saw where the sky had cracked open, the dark rift as black as it was evil. Below it, on the Hitsugaya district soil, a huge beast stood.

Not only was it a Hollow, it was a Menos – Gillian class.

It was rare a Gillian strayed so far from home, unless there was something worth eating to travel all this way.

Rangiku glanced at the boy, who was now on his feet but leaning heavily against the tree – pale, sweating and extremely weak, the effort of standing taking almost all his energy. His Spiritual Pressure, now that Rangiku had zoned in on it, wavered anxiously around him, strength pooling to protect him.

That was a Soul worth eating, Rangiku suspected.

The Gillian roared again, and its infamous red beam of destruction burst out of its mouth, shooting straight for them. Rangiku wasted no time in grabbing the boy by his skinny waist and flash stepping them out of the way as the tree blew up behind them, erupting in flames.

She landed next to a nearby building and put the kid down.

“Stay here,” she told him. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

Without waiting for a response, the lieutenant flash stepped again, flying for the Gillian and slashing it with her sword. She sliced its left side easily and the creature roared in pain, a sound so high pitched Rangiku thought her ears were going to bleed. Still though, it meant she stole the Gillian’s attention and the boy was temporarily forgotten.

Rangiku could kill a Gillian, no problem. She just had to be quicker than the dangerous red beam it-

The Gillian screeched and Rangiku dove out of the way of the next attack as a building behind her was blown to rubble. It looked abandoned thankfully, but Rangiku knew many of the houses and shops around her weren’t and she needed to get the Gillian facing away.

She jumped up and over the Gillian, slicing through its right side as she went. It screeched painfully again as she landed in front of nothing but tree line to the woods. The Gillian could shoot at her as much as it wanted now, though it was hardly going to live that long.

Rangiku was about to launch herself at the Gillian again, this time going for the kill shot, but before she had even shifted the weight in her legs to jump, the Hollow screeched in pain again. Rangiku frowned as it turned, and horror overcame her when she saw the little boy with white hair and teal eyes standing by the Gillian’s leg, an icicle protruding from the boot-like bone foot like a large splinter.

The Gillian’s roar was the same as though Rangiku had just cut it deeply again and she saw the red beam about to explode from the Hollow’s mouth, turning directly on the kid.

Rangiku flash stepped and slashed her sword across the Gillian’s bone mask face as the Menos shot its beam, pushing the beam off course and only narrowly missing the child. The mask was broken but it needed one more direct hit, so Rangiku flash stepped again directly above the monster and plunged her sword down into the bone mask, right where its brain would have been if it had one.

The Gillian’s screech died with it, and black and white body withering away and disappearing. Rangiku dropped to the ground with a tired but relived exhale. She really needed to train more.

She turned to the boy, unsure yet as to whether she should thank him for trying to help her, or yell at him for not staying where she left him, but when she spotted him, he was collapsed on the ground.

Rushing over, Rangiku found the boy unconscious, his leg bleeding significantly. He had been hit by the beam after all.

The lieutenant didn’t waste any time; she picked the boy up and flash stepped away.

She couldn’t take him to the Fourth. He wasn’t a Soul Reaper, and there was a good chance he’d bleed out before she got him there, so Rangiku went to her next best option.

Shiba Manor.

It was the weekend so her captain at least would be home, and hopefully his brother Kaien too who had more healing experience.

Thankfully, Shiba Manor was located in the nicer part of Junrinan, just outside the Seireitei gates. Rangiku made it there as quickly as she possibly could, landing on the porch and bursting through the front door without knocking.

“Captain!” she called out, already walking through the main living room and placing the boy down gently on the couch.

She had been here many times now, and knew her way around the large complex.

“Matsumoto,” Isshin’s voice groaned from outside the room as his impatient steps approached. He called her by her last name which he only used when he was annoyed with her. “You are not getting out of patrol du-”

Isshin stopped in his tracks when he entered the room and saw her hovering over the unconscious child bleeding out all over his family’s expensive furniture.

The captain swore and turned sharply, calling out for Kaien as he strode from the room. Rangiku sighed in relief knowing the younger Shiba was home. Kaien was Lieutenant of Squad Thirteen, he had specialised in healing to help Captain Ukitake manage his chronic illness.

Isshin returned a moment later with a towel and hurried to Rangiku’s side, pressing the towel firmly to the boy’s wound.

“Please tell me a Hollow did this,” Isshin sighed, knowing full well how his lieutenant had a penchant for trying to save the poor Rukongai children.

Rangiku huffed, “What does it matter?”

“Jurisdiction,” Isshin answered matter-of-factly and Rangiku shot him a glare.

She knew it wasn’t Isshin’s opinion speaking, but that of Central Forty-Six. A life was at stake but all they cared about was nobles and the Seireitei. Legally, they could get into a lot of trouble for using their powers on ordinary Souls.

“Well it was a Hollow,” Rangiku muttered, throwing the same matter-of-fact tone back at him. “A Gillian, in fact, but it shouldn’t matter either way.”

“A Gillian?” Isshin repeated, eyes snapping to her in surprise. “In Hitsugaya?”

Rangiku nodded, but before she could explain, Kaien entered the room alongside his wife Miyako who came bearing a number of medical supplies. Kaien took control of the situation quickly then, nudging Rangiku and Isshin out of the way as he stripped back the bloody towel to look at the wound.

“Hollow?” he asked, before he shook his head, reconsidering the question. “Just say yes.”

“Yes,” Rangiku answered quickly. Kaien nodded and instantly started healing kido, a green light from his hand illuminating the wound and slowly the blood seemed to stop seeping out and the skin started to stitch itself together.

If it hadn’t been a Hollow, they legally wouldn’t have been able to treat the boy with their magic. It made Rangiku furious and sick to her stomach that this was the law she lived under. She was grateful to Kaien, who had always been the kindest Shiba sibling, who was prepared to risk himself if the boy hadn’t been hurt by a Hollow but by something else.

It wasn’t that Isshin wasn’t kind, he really was, but he had far more pressure on his head from many directions – the other captains, Central Forty-Six and the other noble clans.

Rangiku hovered nervously over the boy from the other side of the couch where she was out of the way but still able to see what was happening. Isshin stood further away, arms crossed and watching intently, no doubt the idea of a Gillian in one of Squad Ten’s Rukongai jurisdictions was a troubling thought, maybe more so than the fact a child was bleeding out in his family living room.

“It’s working,” Kaien murmured to Rangiku. “Shouldn’t be much longer.”

Rangiku sighed in relief at that. After a few more minutes, the wound was closed over and the bleeding at stopped. There was still a gash, so Miyako stepped in to clean and dress it. Kaien stood and watched, frown furrowing in his brow.

“How did he get hurt?” Kaien asked then, moving out of his wife’s way. “Really, this time?”

“Hollow,” Rangiku confirmed; she hadn’t lied.

“Gillian, apparently,” Isshin added with a frown.

“In Hitsugaya?” Kaien asked doubtfully.

“He has Spiritual Pressure,” Isshin explained with a sigh before Rangiku could.

The lieutenant glanced up at him.

“You can feel it?” she asked.

“Once you said a Gillian attacked him, I focused on it and now it feels so obvious,” Isshin murmured. “It’s uncomfortably cold. Ice type, probably.”

The exact opposite of Isshin and his fire type Zanpakuto, Engetsu, and also the opposite of Rangiku’s Haineko, which was an ash type, but still born of fire.

“Not just any ice type,” Rangiku told him, sending him a knowing look. “An ice _dragon_.”

Isshin’s brow furrowed deeper but he seemed to be processing that information quietly.

“Like Hyorinmaru?” Kaien asked and the room went silent as the thought about it.

They all knew about Hyorinmaru, the famous ice dragon Zanpakuto from the history books – a legend so old they weren’t even sure if it was true. At full maturity, it was supposedly as strong as the Head Captain’s Ryujin Jakka, just at the opposite end of the elemental scale. Like Souls, Zanpakutos could be reborn. Hyorinmaru had not been heard from in thousands of years, however. If he had been real at all, he had been lying dormant, or perhaps his host Souls had never made it to the Academy.

That was possible, given the state the current potential host Soul was in.

“Couldn’t be,” Isshin murmured after a while, but even he didn’t seem like he was certain about that.

Sighing, the captain ran his hand through his pitch black Shiba hair.

“Trust you to turn patrol duty into a rescue mission, Rangiku,” Isshin grimaced. “What’s the boy’s name?”

“He doesn’t remember,” Rangiku glanced sadly down at the boy.

Again, the Shiba brothers looked at her with confused glances. Rangiku shrugged and explained the story of how she found him against the tree, of how he could have only been in the Soul Society for a few months, and how she had fed him amanatto. Isshin had shot her a look at that but said nothing; again, Rangiku wasn’t exactly supposed to be feeding the resident Souls out there, children or otherwise.

They were far more interested however, when Rangiku told him about the boy’s icicle he had stabbed the Gillian with.

“He conjured that from his Zanpakuto,” Rangiku told them, “without even knowing its’ name.”

“That’s impossible,” Kaien stated, his eyes wide with surprise.

Rangiku shrugged, “It’s what I saw. He couldn’t have gotten it anywhere else.”

Despite what Kaien said, it wasn’t unheard of that certain Souls couldn’t use their Zanpakutos before they learned its name, Captain Zaraki being one of them. There had been rumours of Souls in the past using powers they didn’t even know they had, usually in situations of desperate self-defence.

“All done,” Miyako announced at last, standing and stepping away from the boy. The child was still out cold (pun unintended), but the wound was cleaned and dressed, and his chest rose and fell with life.

“Thank you,” Rangiku murmured, “both of you.”

Kaien and Miyako nodded.

“He’s severely malnourished, though,” Miyako pointed out as she tidied her supplies back up and threw all the bloodied towels into a bucket. “He needs a decent meal.”

The much was obvious to Rangiku and she turned on Isshin with big hopeful eyes. The man rolled his eyes before relenting.

“We’ll feed him today, send him off with something to get him through the next few days,” Isshin sighed, “but that’s all, Matsumoto. You will take him back to Hitsugaya this afternoon. We’re not a hotel.”

“That’s fine,” Rangiku smiled and clapped her hands together in triumph. “I need to talk to the Academy but I think there is an upcoming entry exam date soon.”

“You can’t send him to the Academy, Rangiku,” Isshin stared at her seriously, like he couldn’t believe she had suggested such a thing. “He’s a baby.”

“He’s older than Yachiru,” Rangiku pointed out.

“Yachiru didn’t go through the Academy,” Isshin countered. “And under Squad Eleven rules, she doesn’t have to because her captain chose her, and her captain is a _psychopath_.”

The Eleventh Division worked outside the Central Forty-Six law in most situations, and no one from the governing body had been brave enough to take them on. It was the reason they were allowed to have a captain that had murdered their previous captain, and it was the reason they had a little girl who couldn’t be more than four or five in human comparison, as their lieutenant.

“If the boy passes the entry exam, they have to take him,” Rangiku told him. If he wanted to throw legal technicalities at her, she could throw it back. “He has Spiritual Pressure which means he is allowed to take the exam. It’s the law.”

Isshin gave a long suffering sigh, as he often did around Rangiku.

“Children shouldn’t be forced into labour,” Isshin muttered. “Once he graduates, he will have to work full time in a gruelling military environment. That can’t be what you want for him.”

“I don’t want to see him starve to death on the streets,” Rangiku argued.

“You won’t have a choice if he can’t pass the entry exam,” Isshin argued, “or if he fails his subjects and gets booted from the Academy.”

Rangiku huffed and looked away from the captain, staring down at the sleeping boy. Kaien and Miyako had sensed the tension and slipped out of the room discreetly, as most people did when Isshin and Rangiku argued. As two fire types, they both had a short fuse and a burning hot temper.

They were amazing in battle together, but gods could they argue.

Isshin was right that if the kid didn’t make it into the Academy or if he got kicked out of it down the line, then there would be nothing they could do. The Academy didn’t offer second chances.

Isshin sighed then.

“We can keep an eye on him until he is the right age to handle the exam and classes,” Isshin offered. “His chances of getting through it then will be much higher. He might actually stand a chance.”

“What if he doesn’t survive that long?” Rangiku turned back to look at him, her light blue eyes glaring into Isshin’s chocolate coloured irises. “He’s going to starve to death.”

Isshin exhaled slowly, glancing at the child for a moment.

“As cruel as it might sound to you, Rangiku,” the captain sighed. “It’s the better option for him. He could be reincarnated into a better-”

“I can’t believe you just said that,” Rangiku interrupted, feeling her emotions flare.

“The Soul Society isn’t Heaven,” Isshin reminded her. “It’s limbo. It’s where Souls wait for reincarnation.”

The Soul Society was essentially traffic control management for every Soul in the world.

Rangiku hated that. She didn’t want to wander aimlessly around waiting for yet another death just so she could start life all over again and continue a pointless and boring cycle. Being a Soul Reaper was a temporary way out of that. Thanks to longevity, time was now a mostly irrelevant concept, and she could be this Rangiku Matsumoto for far longer.

“He tried to save my life,” Rangiku murmured quietly.

She hadn’t needed the help, but the boy hadn’t known that. He had charged in there, risking his own life, purely to try and help her defeat the Gillian.

If Isshin was about to argue again, he didn’t get time because gasp from the doorway stole their attention.

Isshin’s mother, the very kind Mari Shiba, entered the room, her gaze on the sleeping boy as she approached him.

“Who is this little one?” she asked, voice cooing and Rangiku caught Isshin’s eye roll in the corner of her peripheral vision.

Mari Shiba was an older woman, though she was certainly not fragile. Her midnight hair had grey wisps through it, made more obvious from the lose bun she wore it in. Rangiku loved her captain’s mother – Mari was kind-hearted, a mother to all, but she certainly did not take any nonsense from anyone. She always wore floral print kimonos and loved gardening and crafts, she also cooked far more food than necessary and after a night at Shiba Manor, Rangiku often left feeling ten kilograms heavier with a food baby in her stomach.

“A kid from the Hitsugaya district,” Isshin sighed. “He doesn’t have a name.”

Mari gasped like that was the saddest thing she had ever heard.

“Kaien says he was hurt by a Hollow?” she asked, reaching the couch and crouching down beside the boy.

“He was trying to save my life,” Rangiku told her before Isshin could.

The thing about Mari Shiba was that she adored children. She took everyone under her wing, and refused to let anyone under her care be hurt. She considered Rangiku as another one of her children, and almost every other person that walked into her house.

If Isshin didn’t think his mother was about to take this little boy in too, than he was a fool.

“Hello, Little One,” Mari murmured at the boy, stroking his hair. “Skinny little thing, aren’t you?”

Rangiku glanced over to see the boy starting to come to. Groggy confusion was etched on his face for a moment, before it morphed into fear and distrust, recognising he was in a strange place with strange people.

“Hi,” Rangiku quickly stepped into the kid’s field of vision. “Remember me?”

The boy stared at her and after a moment, nodded.

“Rangiku,” he murmured.

“That’s right,” Rangiku smiled at him. “You helped me with the monster today, but you got hurt so we had to bring you here to heal your leg.”

The boy’s eyes flickered to his leg but they didn’t linger. He sat up but curled in on himself, obviously still a bit frightened of the situation.

Mari sat up on the couch beside the boy and threw her arm around him, drawing him close to her like she had known him his whole life.

“Oh you’re a cold little thing,” she murmured offhandedly, and pulled a blanket off the back of the couch to cover him with.

Rangiku pursed her lips to keep the chuckle in. Obviously Kaien hadn’t mentioned the icy Spiritual Pressure to his mother. To be fair, he probably hadn’t got passed the part about having an injured child in the living room before she had charged off to help.

“Now my name is Mari,” the Shiba matriarch continued talking to the very confused boy now tucked into her side, “but you can call me ‘Granny’.”

“Mum!” Isshin hissed and Rangiku couldn’t stop the small snigger that slipped out then.

Mari had been begging her kids for grandchildren for decades now, and since they hadn’t done that for her, it sounded like she was just going to take this one off the streets and claim it.

“Isshin, go up to the attic and find you and your brothers’ old clothes from when you were children,” she ordered her eldest son. “Find him something clean to wear.”

Captain or not, _Shiba Clan leader or not_ , Isshin still got ordered around by his strict mother.

Isshin sighed sufferingly, but Mari ignored him.

“Don’t worry, Little One,” she told the boy. “We’re going to get you cleaned up, changed and fed.”

The boy’s expression told Rangiku he was a little concerned about the situation he was in, like he didn’t totally believe it and he was being set up for something far more sinister. If Mari sensed that at all, she ignored it as she ignored her own son’s disagreement to the situation, and stood, helping the boy up on his trembling legs and leading him from the room.

“Now, Isshin!” Mari called as she went, voice far less gentle with him as it was with the kid, and together they disappeared from the room, Mari leading the boy towards the large guest bathroom.

“Hm,” Rangiku smirked when it was just her and Isshin left.

“Not a word, Lieutenant,” Isshin warned, tone cold as he shot her a glare.

Rangiku merely chuckled and walked away, following in Mari’s tracks.

Her words need not be said. There was no way Mari Shiba was going to let that kid die of starvation.

_Check mate, Shiba._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part two (Isshin’s POV) will be up on Sunday!


	7. Toshiro (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isshin didn't trust the kid.

It wasn’t that Isshin didn’t trust the kid, it was just that… well, he didn’t trust the kid.

Like most inconveniences in Isshin’s life, this was again Rangiku’s fault. She had brought the injured child to his family home and filled him in on what she had witnessed in the Hitsugaya district that afternoon, Hell bent on saving a kid who couldn’t be saved.

She wanted to keep the kid, like she wanted to keep them all but as Isshin reminded her, they simply couldn’t keep them all. They shouldn’t even keep one.

His lieutenant argued that the boy had Spiritual Pressure, and that made him an exception. While this was true, Isshin categorically believed it would be crueller to push the kid through the Academy (if he even made it in), than it would be to let him reincarnate when the time came.

The boy’s quality of afterlife was low, lower than worth living through. It was unfortunate, but it was just the way it was. He couldn’t be saved and Rangiku was going to hurt herself trying, not that she could see that.

Isshin’s mother Mari was another person vouching for the afterlife of a child she had never met before that day.

“He is just a boy,” Mari glared at him as she made up a futon bed in his father’s old study.

“A very poor one, Mother,” Isshin sighed from the doorway.

As he had promised Rangiku, the boy was fed and cleaned up. Miyako had requested the boy stay a few more hours so she could keep an eye on the wound on his leg, and Isshin had agreed to that too. He did not, however, agree to the kid staying in their house overnight, nor him wandering around the manor in one of Isshin’s childhood yukatas.

Mari had other plans.

“That’s my point,” she argued, continuing to make up the bed. “He has nowhere else to go.”

“He could steal from us,” Isshin hated to point it out, but it was a genuine concern. “We have a lot of valuable items here, Mum.”

Both the Kira and Ise houses nearby had been robbed only a few weeks ago, and even the Ukitake Manor had experienced an attempted break-in last week, though the staff had scared the thief off. Outraged that someone would try and steal from the noble clans, Byakuya Kuchiki had decided to head a taskforce to find the burglar responsible but had so far come up empty.

Not that Isshin thought that this kid was likely _that thief_ , but it was still possible that he could try and steal from them. He could sell the items and use the money to buy food. Isshin would have done that if the roles were reversed, and most people would if they were desperate enough.

This kid had to be desperate enough.

“Nothing we can’t replace,” Mari responded, unconcerned but noticeably not denying the risk.

“What about Dad’s books?” Isshin asked, nodding his head to the bookcase that lined the wall. It was filled with his late father’s extensive collection of ancient books, many of which were worth a fortune now. The books could be replaced sure, but then they wouldn’t be his _father’s_ books. They were priceless as far as sentiment went.

“Enough, Isshin!” Mari snapped, standing with a huff. “The boy is staying here tonight and for as long as I say so.”

She stormed from the room, stepping around her eldest son in the doorway.

Isshin sighed again. She always reacted like that when they spoke of his father.

Since his death a few months ago, Mari had been sad and lonely, going through her grief rather quietly. Isshin and his siblings hated their idea of their mother alone in this big house, and so Kukaku and Ganju had moved home, bringing their fireworks business with them. Isshin, Kaien and Miyako lived at their respective division barracks inside the Seireitei, but they tried to come home as often as possible to keep their mother company.

Isshin managed to come every Thursday night for family dinner, often bringing Rangiku along because he knew his mother loved to chat with his bubbly lieutenant, and he usually also stayed over the weekends. Kaien and Miyako came as often as possible too, though they were busy looking after Squad Thirteen and their sick captain.

It was of no surprise to Isshin that his mother would try to take in the first little child that ended up on their doorstep – or bleeding out on their good couch. Mari may have been infatuated, but someone had to be realistic. There was a good chance this kid was going to steal something and run away, hurting her even more. Isshin didn’t trust the kid.

That was why he couldn’t watch as Mari put the kid to bed in his father’s study, though Rangiku’s smug face was harder to look at when he returned to the dining room.

As Isshin had suspected, the kid was gone the next morning. Futon abandoned and window left open. The kid had snuck out, probably the moment he was left alone.

As Isshin had _not_ suspected, nothing had been stolen, and _trust him_ , he had checked. Well, his old yukata had been taken, but that was worth nothing in sentimental or financial value.

Mari sighed, looking out the window the boy had escaped though. She was disappointed and worried, it seemed.

“I hope he’s okay,” she murmured.

Isshin had squeezed her shoulder and assumed that would be it.

He didn’t assign Rangiku anymore patrol duty, keeping the lieutenant busy inside the Squad Ten barracks, much to her frustration. If she wanted to chase the kid down back in Hitsugaya, she could do it on her own time, not his.

And on her own time she did, but every night she returned to the barracks disappointed. The kid had vanished from Hitsugaya and she couldn’t trace his Spiritual Pressure in the area.

The kid was gone, maybe even reincarnated by now. That, of course, had been the wrong thing to say to Rangiku.

“That’s just a fancy word for ‘dead’,” Rangiku snapped before storming off in tears.

Horrible as it were, that’s what Isshin had believed anyway, until he found that same little boy in the Shiba Manor garden with his mother the following Saturday morning.

He had just arrived to the manor, heading straight to the kitchen to make a coffee. He glanced out the kitchen window, seeing his mother outside in the sun, her big straw hat on as she pulled the weeds from her tomato patch. Then another movement caught Isshin’s eye and the captain had choked on his coffee.

The boy from last weekend had just emerged from his mother’s gardening shed with a watering can.

“What the…” Isshin muttered, frowning as the boy limped towards Mari, white hair shimmering in the sun and wearing yet another one of Isshin’s old yukatas.

“He comes every other day or so,” Kukaku’s voice caught him off guard. She was sitting at the dining table with a coffee, flicking through a magazine. He hadn’t noticed her when he had walked through to the kitchen.

“What for?” Isshin asked his sister, tone concerned.

He did not trust this kid.

Kukaku shrugged, “To hang out with Mum.”

“To hang out?” Isshin repeated disbelievingly.

“He never stays,” Kukaku continued, not once looking up from her magazine. “Sometimes she gets him to eat, sometimes she doesn’t.”

Isshin exhaled slowly as he turned back to the window, watching as his mother and the boy tended to the garden together.

He hadn’t stolen anything, but he was coming back every few days for food and clothes. Maybe this kid was smarter than Isshin had given him credit for.

Like a stray dog, feed him once and he comes back every day.

Keeping a careful eye on the situation from the kitchen window, Isshin leaned against the countertop and observed.

His mother and the boy appeared to be talking animatedly. The boy was certainly more lively compared to that first afternoon. From there, he almost looked warm – though given he was an ice-type, that was probably not the case. Souls with Spiritual Pressure were generally a reflection of their Zanpakuto spirit – and this kid’s magic was ice-cold, his personality would surely match.

They were out there tending to the garden for almost an hour before Mari returned to the house. She appeared to try and welcome him in with her, but the boy shook his head and walked away, leaving the manor grounds through the back gate.

“Why is he in our garden, Mum?” Isshin asked the second she walked through the back door.

“Well hello to you too,” Mari scoffed, stepping around him. She carried a large basket full of flowers and vegetables and placed it on the counter, gathering the flowers together. “Get me a vase, please.”

Isshin sighed and moved around her, getting a vase from the cupboard and half filling it with water.

“He came back on Tuesday to thank us for looking after him and to return the yukata,” Mari explained when Isshin stood staring at her, awaiting an explanation. “He even brought me some flowers as a gift.”

“Flowers?” Isshin raised an eyebrow sceptically.

Also why had no one mentioned this to him at Thursday’s family dinner? Rangiku had been out searching for the boy, and Isshin had decided to avoid the topic with his mother in an effort to not upset her. Someone should have said something.

“He had picked them himself,” Mari nodded, a small smiling gracing her lips as she thought about it. “Mostly weeds mind you, but he said they reminded him of me because they matched the colours of my kimono, bless him.”

“So you fed him again?” Isshin frowned. “Because he brought you flowers?”

“No, he wouldn’t let me feed him,” Mari corrected, tone unimpressed. “Said he couldn’t pay for it. I told him not to worry about that, he was my guest, but he wouldn’t have it.”

“Kukaku says you feed him,” Isshin accused, pointing at his sister who snorted from the dining table and flipped him off.

“Well I tricked him into it,” Mari chuckled, arranging her flowers in the vase. “I told him that he could help around the house and I would pay him with food.”

Isshin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“You let him back into the house?” Isshin’s tone was tired. “Mother, he could steal!”

Mari shot him a pointed glare.

“He has not stolen from us yet, and I don’t believe he ever will,” Mari continued. “As it stands, I have to let him help me with the washing before he will let me give him even a tiny roll of sushi.”

“So he is staff then?” Isshin clapped his hands together. “Great, let’s draw up a contract then.”

A very specific contract with penalties for any breaches.

“He is not staff,” Mari scolded him. “He is my little friend.”

Isshin rolled his eyes and his mother smacked upside his head none too gently.

After that, Mari refused to speak about it to him, and neither Kukaku nor Ganju wanted to spend time with him while all he could talk about was the kid.

“Why is Mum so obsessed with him?” Isshin had huffed.

“Why are _you_ so obsessed with him?” Kukaku had laughed. “He’s just a kid, he’s harmless.”

Isshin sighed. He didn’t trust the kid!

Over the rest of the weekend, Isshin kept up a vigilant eye for the child, and found him again on Sunday afternoon sitting on the front porch while his mother sat in the old rocking chair and knitted. The boy was reading a book, and the pair of them sat in silence together as they did their own thing.

Isshin squinted to see the cover of the book, recognising it instantly as one from his father’s collection. It was one that his father had actually read to Isshin as a child – it had been his favourite.

 _‘The Tales of Toshiro’_ – it was about a younger sorcerer, named Toshiro, who went on quests to save his friends from evil magicians. Isshin had loved that book growing up, so had his siblings when his father had read it to them too.

Isshin swallowed and stared, refusing to look away from the scene, refusing to let the little boy in his old yukata take away his favourite childhood book.

The kid didn’t though, handing it back to Mari when the sun began to set. He caught Isshin’s eye through the window as he stood to leave. Bright teal stared back at him with the same distrust and curiosity for a moment, before the boy turned and left, but not without Mari sending him off with half a watermelon. The boy replied with a bow and an all too polite ‘thank you, Granny’.

“He tidied the shoes out on the back porch,” Mari had shrugged, answering Isshin’s unspoken question when she came back inside to start dinner. “He’s a good boy.”

Of course, Rangiku had been thrilled to hear about the news on Monday when Isshin had returned to the Squad Ten barracks.

By Thursday night, Isshin had been itching to get back to the manor for the agreed ‘family night dinner’, desperate to find out if the boy had been back throughout the week. Rangiku too was excited, gushing with hope that she would see the boy there that night.

Of course he was there.

Isshin and Rangiku found him in the living room – the same one he had almost died in – kneeling at the coffee table and sorting out the items in Mari’s sewing box. Mari was there too, sitting at her sewing machine and sewing what looked like a new yukata, and if Isshin had a guess up his sleeve, he would guess that the new yukata was for the boy.

“Hi!” Rangiku squealed when she saw him.

The boy beamed up at her. “Rangiku!”

“Wow,” Rangiku breathed, reaching down to cup the boy’s cheek. “You look so much healthier.”

Well, that would happen when Mari gave him all their food.

“Of course he does,” Isshin muttered, earning himself a sharp glare from Mari.

The boy’s gaze fell on Isshin then, and his smile faded away.

“Little One,” Mari cleared her throat and turned back to the boy. “Why don’t you go show Rangiku what you made for her yesterday?”

“You made me something?” Rangiku questioned, eyes lighting up as the boy nodded, standing up.

He grabbed Rangiku’s hand shyly, “Too cold?”

“Not at all,” the lieutenant smiled down at him, and the child smiled weakly back before leading Rangiku from the room and down the hall.

“Would you cut him some slack?” Mari snapped the moment they were gone from sight. “He’s a kid, he hasn’t done anything wrong.”

Isshin sighed; he couldn’t keep having this argument.

“He calls you ‘Granny’,” Isshin groaned.

“So what?” Mari huffed. “He would be a wonderful grandchild, you know? He’s quite talkative once he gets comfortable, funny too – he’s a cheeky little thing. He’s also very intelligent – he fixed my sewing machine all on his own.”

The comment about the boy getting comfortable with Mari made Isshin ironically uncomfortable.

“You can’t keep him,” Isshin sighed. “He’s not yours, he’s a stray.”

“There is no law to say I can’t help out this child,” Mari argued.

She was right – a regular Soul (one that wasn’t a Soul Reaper), such as Mari, was able to take in Soul child, as long as they were residents of the Rukongai, not inside the Seireitei. Amongst the noble families however, it was rather frowned upon – the Kuchiki’s had surprised everyone when they took in young Rukia, and before that when Byakuya had married below his station. It had been the scandal of the decade.

“He has done nothing to earn any distrust,” Mari continued as she stood up from her sewing table, “and he makes it feel less lonely around here.”

Isshin’s argument died with that, not that Mari gave him the opportunity to follow through with one as she stormed from the room.

Mari was right about that, the boy had now been around for close to two weeks, and nothing had gone missing. All he did was spend time with Isshin’s mother, help her with the odd jobs, and occasionally accept a small amount of food in return.

Mari did seem happier now that she had someone to look after again. As good as it was having Kukaku and Ganju home again, they were pretty independent. Mari needed to have someone to look after, that was who she was. Isshin’s father had been thoroughly spoiled before his death, and Isshin knew his mother missed doting on someone.

The captain ran his hand through his hair tiredly. Maybe it was time to give the boy the benefit of the doubt?

Following his mother out, Isshin found his family congregated in the back sitting room, where Mari had since put out some pre-dinner snacks and drinks. Kaien and Miyako were there too, and Miyako appeared to be redressing the kid’s wound while Rangiku was gushing over a messy handmade ‘thank you’ card, presumably the thing the kid had made for her.

“It’s looking better,” Miyako told the boy softly, “but you have to keep it clean otherwise it could get infected and make you sick.”

The boy blinked, “How do I keep it clean?”

Rangiku and Miyako shared a glance, the answer lost between them. Yes, how did a homeless street child keep a wound like that clean?

“I’ll talk to Mari about checking it every time he visits,” Miyako resolved. “She shouldn’t have to redress it if it’s kept clean.”

With that, Miyako stood and left the room, heading towards the kitchen where Mari was presumably cooking up a storm.

The kid stood and made to leave.

“You’re not staying for dinner?” Kaien asked the boy, and the white haired child shook his head.

He waved goodbye to everyone, though Rangiku wouldn’t let him go without a hug and a promise of returning next week, and then he made his way further down the hall to say goodbye to Mari.

Isshin followed at a safe distance, listening to them.

“Bye bye, Granny,” the boy murmured.

“Let me give you something to take,” Mari murmured, and there was a rustling in the kitchen. “You were very helpful today with my sewing machine.”

The boy seemed to resist, but Mari managed to talk him into taking some amanatto with him, since Rangiku had pointed out that he liked the candied beans.

“Stay safe, okay?” Mari murmured, and there was more rustling which Isshin knew well to be the sound of his mother’s kimono wrapping around someone for a hug. “Will you be back tomorrow?”

“I don’t know,” the boy answered, uncertainty in his voice. “The big man doesn’t like me being here.”

The big man?

“Isshin is…” Mari sighed, “just very protective of his mama.”

 _Oh._ Isshin rolled his eyes behind the wall.

“You’re welcome here any time, Little One,” the woman continued. “I wish you would stay.”

How the boy responded, Isshin didn’t know because it hadn’t been verbalised. He saw the boy leave however, and Isshin followed him out to the front porch, where the boy was taking off his house slippers that Mari had made for him. He didn’t have any other shoes to put on, so he began to walk off barefoot.

“Where are you going?” Isshin called out to the boy, who whipped around quickly, surprise in his expression.

“Hitsugaya,” the boy answered cautiously and Isshin could feel the Spiritual Pressure around the boy becoming wary.

Isshin’s distrust of the boy had certainly not been a one way street. The kid had his guard up now.

“Where in Hitsugaya?” Isshin pressed. Last he had heard, Rangiku couldn’t find him in Hitsugaya anymore.

The boy regarded him before he shrugged. He didn’t know where he was going.

Isshin swallowed his pride.

“You should come back inside,” Isshin gestured to the house. “My mother would like it if you stayed.”

“I can’t stay,” the boy answered quickly, and bowed to take his leave.

“Why not?” Isshin frowned, following the boy out onto the grass.

The boy turned sharply then, so suddenly that Isshin almost crashed into him. Small hands shot out and caught Isshin, his cold palms pressing into Isshin’s abdomen. Even through his uniform, those hands were freezing. Isshin sucked in a gasp but held back the flinch.

“Can’t stay,” the boy repeated. _“Cold.”_

His palms pushed off Isshin’s body and the kid turned and ran off quickly, leaving Isshin frowning after him, the confusion clearing.

When a Soul was still in the early days of discovering their Zanpakutos, they mostly communicated between each other through dreams. While the Soul slept, their Zanpakuto manifested in their mind and called out to them. Often this meant their Spiritual Pressure gathered around their sleeping body, which was usually fine, except in the cases of elementals.

Isshin himself had regularly woken up in sheets drenched with sweat during his time at the academy. One time he had even woken up to find his quilt a disintegrated pile of ash and scorch marks on the walls and ceiling. He had been lucky not to have a roommate at the time.

For this kid, being that he was an ice type, Isshin realised this must have meant that the boy often woke up surrounded by ice and frost, or at least extremely cold.

So that first night when the boy had run away… he had done it to protect them?

If he had slept there, the temperature inside the manor would have plummeted, risking everyone, especially Mari who was more elderly.

Sighing deeply, Isshin turned and wandered back into the house, his mind full of new thoughts about the child from Hitsugaya.

He knew he was going to get the old ‘I told you so’ arguments from Rangiku and Mari, but he would have to deal with it.

And he certainly got them.

Of course, Rangiku’s plan to get the kid into the academy was still up for debate, and Isshin’s argument still stood. The Spiritual Arts Academy was no place for a child, and Soul Reaping was no career for one either. The kid was good at heart, and all Soul Reaping would to do him would teach him how to kill and fight, and to turn a blind eye to the suffering in the Rukongai.

However, Rangiku’s argument was valid too. Sooner or later, the boy would be killed if he didn’t go to the Academy. The risk was starving was significantly lower now that Mari had taken charge of the kid’s eating habits – well, his ability to eat now that food was available. However, the risk of more Hollow attacks was high, and if a Soul Reaper wasn’t there to protect him, the kid was goner. Similarly, if the boy didn’t get his Spiritual Pressure under control, he would only continue to attract Hollows, not to mention he could accidentally harm someone just by sleeping.

Reluctantly, Isshin agreed to Rangiku contacting the Academy about their next open entry exam date, and she returned to him the next day with the news that the next date was a month away.

“That gives us plenty of time to tutor him,” Rangiku said optimistically, handing him an information flyer from the academy about it, which included the sign up form at the bottom.

“He might not need it,” Isshin sighed, glancing over the flyer. “Apparently he’s quite a smart child.”

‘Very intelligent’ as Mari had described him.

“So…” Rangiku leaned over his desk, her chest almost popping out of her loosened uniform – but what else was new? “Can we get him ready for the exam?”

Isshin took a deep breath.

“We can talk to him about it,” he answered carefully. “You know we haven’t considered whether this is something he would actually want.”

“Well you can ask him then,” Rangiku grinned, “when you go to your mother’s tomorrow.”

The lieutenant refused to get back to work until Isshin agreed to that, so with some reluctance, the captain relented and nodded.

It was just a conversation to have with the boy – nothing was final, nothing was set in stone.

Thankfully Rangiku worked diligently for the rest of the day, and by the afternoon, almost all of their paperwork was done. It was almost peaceful until Isshin’s fourth seat came bursting into the office.

“Captain Shiba!” he called, alarmed. “I have a message from your family!”

Given the tone of the officer and the panicked expression he wore, Isshin didn’t expect it to be anything good.

“What is it?” the captain barked, shooting to his feet, as did Rangiku beside him.

“Your sister has sent word that a thief has broken into Shiba Manor,” the fourth seat kneeled lowly. “Your mother has been injured.”

That was enough to send Isshin flying from the office, calling back for Rangiku make sure the news got to Kaien at the Thirteenth.

Isshin flash stepped, flying over roof tops and divisions to get to the West Gate. Jidanbo let him through without a word and Isshin continued towards Shiba Manor. He hadn’t heard how badly his mother had been hurt, but he was already scared. He had just lost one parent, he wasn’t ready to lose another, especially not his sweet mother.

His blood boiled at the fact a burglar had broken in and hurt his mother. As much as Isshin wanted to accuse the boy from Hitsugaya, the captain already knew he hadn’t done it.

Though, he was starting to question that belief, when he dropped in front of the house and found frost all over the place. A stream of winding ice came out of the door and down the porch steps. It looked like a small river had flown through the house and frozen over.

Isshin frowned and stepped over it, hopping through the front door. It was cold inside, but the summer air coming through the open door and windows appeared to be dispersing the chill.

He found Mari sitting in the living room, as Kukaku placed cushions behind her back and Ganju brought her a cup of tea. The room was in disarray, and much of the furniture was wet, but nothing appeared to be missing at first glance.

“What happened here?” Isshin demanded, rushing forward to his mother’s side.

“Thief,” Ganju spat. “He broke in while Kukaku and I were testing fireworks.”

Kukaku grimaced guiltily, “We didn’t hear it.”

“Mum, are you hurt?” Isshin asked Mari, who shook her head and took a long sip of her tea.

“The dude pushed her over,” Ganju growled, answering more honestly.

“I fell on my hip,” Mari sighed, waving off her youngest son’s anger. “It’s sore but I can walk.”

“Kaien can look at it when he gets here,” Isshin sighed in relief. He was going to have to make sure his officers gave him the full message before he went charging out of the barracks like a lunatic. “Was anything taken?”

“No,” Mari shook her head. “Thanks to the little one.”

“The kid?” Isshin guessed, brow furrowing. “The ice is hard to miss.”

His mother chuckled at that, and told him what had happened.

A Soul – a man, aged in his human thirties, they believed – had broken in while Kukaku and Ganju had been firework testing in the yard, to cover the sounds of him breaking a window at the back of the house and slipping in. He had carried a large sack and blunt blade (Isshin had been alarmed to hear the man had carried a weapon), and had started throwing items into his sack. He hadn’t expected to find Mari and the boy in the front living room reading together.

The thief had attacked Mari, pushing her over, before drawing his blade up on her. Mari said what happened after that had occurred in a split second. The room had grown extremely cold and she had seen the kid jump up and push the thief away from her. The next thing Mari knew, the burglar was in a heap at the bottom of their porch stairs, a slide of ice leading from him to the child’s feet.

The sack of their family items had been dropped and it seemed the thief had decided against returning inside the house where a demon child of ice was possibly going to kill him. Cutting his losses, the man had run off and no one had pursued him.

Isshin made a mental note to report this to Byakuya Kuchiki’s taskforce.

“The boy saved me, Isshin,” Mari murmured.

Isshin nodded as he glanced around the room. It certainly seemed that way, though the captain didn’t think it was the right time to point out that the kid had definitely just meant to push the thief away from Mari, not to send him flying his ice magic. The boy had no control and had panicked. He could have killed the man, he could have even killed Mari.

Though Isshin knew wholeheartedly that the boy wouldn’t have intended for that to happen.

“Where is the kid now?” Isshin asked.

“Dad’s study,” Kukaku answered. “He was pretty shaken, couldn’t rein the chill back in.”

Mari grimaced, “We thought it was best to take him out of the room for a while, until he calms down.”

Isshin nodded; that was smart. Mari, Kukaku and Ganju didn’t have much Spiritual Pressure, they wouldn’t be able to stand the kid while he was emitting such a cold air of dense power.

Luckily the Shibas had a resident fire type Soul to keep them toasty.

“I’ll go talk to him,” Isshin murmured, using a gentle amount of his Spiritual Pressure to slowly break down and melt the ice trail before he turned to go to the study.

“Isshin?” Mari called him back.

“Yeah?” Isshin glanced over his shoulder, hovering in the doorway.

“The boy saved my life,” she told him again. “Give him a name so I don’t have to keep calling him ‘the boy’ for crying out loud.”

Isshin rolled his eyes and nodded.

The kid really did need a name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder what name the boy will get?  
> Jk just joshing, we all know.
> 
> Please drop your thoughts in a comment if you have a sec :)
> 
> Part 3 (Tosh POV) will be up on Wednesday!


	8. Toshiro (Part 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boy needs a name.

The boy sat up in Granny’s dead husband’s room with all the books, on the futon bed she had left set up for him even though he had never used it.

It was cold in the room, freezing cold, and the boy knew that was his own fault but he couldn’t stop it. His hands shook and his skin was bumpy from the cold. He hoped the whole house didn’t feel this way.

He hated it.

Whimpering quietly, the boy drew his knees up to his chest, the book Granny had lent him held tightly against him. He was scared of freezing it and ruining it, but Granny had told him to keep reading – she said it would calm him down.

Hands shaking, the boy lifted the book out.

_‘The Tales of Toshiro’_ – apparently it had been Granny’s children’s favourite books when they had been his age.

He had started it days ago and also loved it. The main character, Toshiro, was so brave and warm, just as the boy wanted to be.

When the bad man had broken into Granny’s house and pushed her over, the boy thought he had been brave to push the man away. He hadn’t been brave though, he had been so scared. So scared, in fact, that ice had shot out and sent the man flying.

The boy hadn’t meant for that to happen.

Clenching his eyes shut and curling in further on himself – he knew he was going to be in trouble over this. He didn’t know what they would do to him but the boy suspected it would be nothing good. The big man, Isshin, was probably going to cut him with that big sword he often carried.

The boy thought about running away, but Granny had made him promise to stay, and Ganju had brought him up a hot tea to try and warm him up. The tea was now also ice.

There was a knock on the door and the boy flinched, glancing up as Isshin stuck his head it.

“Hey, Kid,” he murmured, stepping through the doorway.

The boy eyed the sword at his hip. This was it.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” the man sighed and the boy glanced up in surprise.

The deep brown eyes that usually looked at him with distain were now more remorseful, albeit still cautious.

The boy didn’t say anything, but felt himself relax slightly when Isshin pulled the sword from his belt and tossed it down the hallway before he entered the room, closing the door behind him.

The boy knew Isshin could probably kill him with his bare hands if he wanted to, but at least he wasn’t going to be stabbed.

“My mother told me that you saved her from the thief,” Isshin informed him, groaning slightly as he lowered himself to sit at the other end of the futon, his black and white robes swamping him.

The boy looked down at the book in his hands, “Is Granny okay?”

“She will be fine,” Isshin assured him. “The fall hurt her hip but she is still mobile and not in much pain. My brother can look at it when he arrives.”

“What about the ice?” the boy asked, feeling his chest tighten and a lump form in his throat. “And the cold air?”

“I melted it away,” Isshin answered, and the boy felt his eyes burning into him. “It didn’t hurt anybody.”

“But it could have.”

The boy didn’t know much about Soul Reapers, he hadn’t been around them before now, but he knew they had magic and they could fight those monsters that appear from the cracks in the sky. He also knew the other Souls in Hitsugaya hated them.

The boy knew he had magic of his own too, but he didn’t know how to use it. Sometimes he felt like it used itself, like today. He knew it was the dragon in his dreams that did it all. It scared him.

Isshin and Rangiku had magic too as Soul Reapers, and so did Kaien and Miyako. Granny told him lots of stories of how they used their swords and their powers to save Souls like him from the monsters. It confused the boy how the Souls in the Rukongai could hate them for that?

“You know I accidentally set my teacher’s hair on fire once?” Isshin told him randomly, and the boy’s eyes snapped up to see the big man chuckle.

“With magic?” he asked, eyes going wide.

“Like yours,” Isshin hummed. “Though mine is much more... _fiery,_ but it’s still dangerous until you can control it.”

The boy grimaced, looking back at the book in his hands. He ran his fingers gently over the front cover, feeling where the text rose and fell with each letter that slightly protruded from the cover page.

“I wish I could control mine,” he murmured, “like Toshiro learns to control his magic. I want to be brave like him and help my friends.”

“It sounds like you’re doing that already,” Isshin pointed out, “first with my Lieutenant, now with my mother.”

“I almost hurt Granny,” the boy argued.

“But you didn’t,” Isshin replied quickly, “because you didn’t want to.”

The boy frowned up at the man, “Why would I want to?”

There seemed to be a smile of sorts playing at Isshin’s lips then. The boy realised he had never seen the man smile, outside of the family photographs he had seen around the manor.

Isshin shook himself out of it and took a big breath. He reached into his pocket and produced a colourful piece of paper. He handed it to the boy and the boy took it, reading the cover.

“The Spiritual Arts Academy?” he questioned.

“Rangiku wants you to go,” Isshin told him. “I wasn’t sure about it because you’re so young and it can be… well, not a great place for children, but now I’ve seen that we might not have a choice any more. You need to learn to control your powers.”

“And they will teach me?” the boy asked in surprise, glancing back down at the cover.

“Yes they will,” Isshin sighed. “They will teach you to become a Soul Reaper, so you will have to learn to fight with a sword, and to speak to your Zanpakuto.”

“My dragon?” the boy guessed.

“That’s him,” Isshin nodded. “You will also learn a different sort of magic that we call ‘kido’.”

“Like the healing kind Kaien can do?” the boy asked, remembering Miyako and Kaien discussing it while Miyako had been cleaning and redressing the wound on his leg the other night.

“That’s a part of it,” Isshin answered, that small smile returning for a moment.

Isshin went on to explain that the boy would have to take an entry exam to get it and if he passed, he would attend the academy for up to six years. The boy would live on campus in a dorm, with an actual bed and a roof over him. He would be fed three meals a day and he would even be given a uniform to wear and books to read.

It felt too good to be true, but Isshin didn’t look entirely thrilled about it.

“You don’t want me to go?” the boy asked, looking up at the big man.

“You have a good heart,” Isshin said after a moment’s hesitation. “I would hate to see you lose it.”

The boy didn’t know what he meant by that.

“But it will teach me to protect my friends?” the boy offered, and Isshin chuckled lightly at that.

“That it will,” Isshin murmured.

“I want to go to the Academy,” the boy decided then. He didn’t need to know anything else.

Isshin sighed again – he sure did sigh a lot – and nodded, seemingly in agreeance. He took back the information page from the boy and reached up to his father’s old desk for a pen.

“We need to fill in this application section for you to do the exam in a month,” Isshin told him, leaning over and beginning to fill in some details. “You’ll need a name, Kid. What do you want to call yourself?”

A name? The boy had never thought to choose one.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged.

“Well, usually when a Soul doesn’t have a family name or can’t remember it, they use the district name they’re from,” Isshin explained. “For you, that will be Hitsugaya.”

The boy nodded. Hitsugaya sounded like a nice name, though the place had never been kind to him.

“For a given name, you’ll have to choose one,” Isshin hummed as he filled in ‘Hitsugaya’ for a family name.

That was a lot of pressure, what if he chose a stupid name?!

“How about ‘Isshin’?” he offered, smirking as he waited for the namesake’s reaction.

Isshin stopped writing and he glanced up at the boy with narrowed eyes.

“My mother said you were cheeky,” he said, seemingly unimpressed though the twitch in the corner of his lips said otherwise. “Another name, and not Kaien or Ganju before you go there too.”

The boy grinned wider at that, but he didn’t drop the names as Isshin requested.

Honestly the boy didn’t know what to choose for a name. He couldn’t think of one that suited him.

“I don’t know,” he admitted a few moments later when Isshin was still waiting on an answer.

Isshin sighed and tapped the pen against his lips as he regarded the boy, who shifted uncomfortably under the analysing gaze. The chocolate brown gaze dropped to the book in the boy’s lap, and a soft smile formed on the Soul Reaper’s face.

It was the first full smile the boy had seen Isshin give him.

“How about ‘Toshiro’?” Isshin suggested softly.

The boy glanced down at the book and run his fingers delicately across the name. _Toshiro._

Well, the Toshiro in the book had certainly been brave, he had also been able to help his friends, and that was all the boy wanted to do.

After a moment, he nodded.

“Excellent,” Isshin said, and he sounded genuinely happy about it, and he wrote down the name.

The man finished the application form and blinked at it for a moment in surprise, before that surprise turned to a chuckle.

“What is it?” the boy – Toshiro now, he supposed – asked.

“When I use the Kanji, your name can be interpreted to mean ‘Winter Valley’,” Isshin smirked. “Coincidental, but highly appropriate.”

Toshiro pursed his lips together at that.

“Well, Kid,” Isshin exhaled, folding the paper and putting back in his pocket as he stood. “I’ll get this Academy, and then we will get you ready for your entry exam.”

Toshiro nodded gratefully.

“Come on,” Isshin held a hand out for Toshiro to take. “Let’s go check on ‘Granny’, _Toshiro Hitsugaya.”_

They boy smiled and accepted the warm hand. He realised then that the room wasn’t cold anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s the end of this mini canon-straying arc! I hope you all enjoyed it! Let me know in a comment below :)  
> Next up, we will have a very special request chapter for FFN guest reviewer, Aisa!


	9. Missing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toshiro was missing – had been for hours now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a request chapter for FFN guest reviewer, Aisa :)  
> Request: Toshiro fainting.

“Toshiro!”

“Toshiro!”

Isshin glanced at Rangiku, and both of them strained their ears for moment, listening for any sounds at all to imply their third seat was nearby.

_Nothing._

The only sounds were crickets chirping happily; their joyful singing was in stark contrast to the dread and panic swirling painfully in Isshin’s chest.

The Squad Ten captain focused, closing his eyes for the millionth time since they had started looking for the boy – he could not feel Toshiro’s Spiritual Pressure, or even find his Spirit Ribbon.

“He’s not here,” Rangiku was the one to say the words that Isshin didn’t want to vocalise, her voice filled with the same anxiety the captain was feeling.

 _Toshiro was missing_ – had been for hours now.

Isshin and Rangiku were in Hiraizumi – a small Rukongai district on the edge of their jurisdiction. It was where Isshin had sent Toshiro on patrol duty earlier that day. He hadn’t come back to the division barracks after his shift, and no one had seen him since.

“Was Toshiro at dinner?” Isshin had asked Rangiku back at the Tenth when he spotted his lieutenant leaving the canteen, sake bottle in hand and heading out to party.

He needed to speak to his youngest soldier after their earlier blow up, but Toshiro hadn’t come to see him after his patrol duty, which was highly out of character for the third seat.

“No,” Rangiku had answered, brow furrowing slightly. “I thought he was in the office with you?”

He wasn’t. Isshin shook his head, something clawing uncomfortably in his gut.

“Well maybe he has gone to bed early?” Rangiku had suggested then, seeing Isshin’s face. “It was really hot today; he can’t be feeling too well after patrol duty.”

As much as Rangiku had been trying to offer a calm and logical solution, Isshin had felt his worries spike. He had forgotten about the heat since he rarely felt it and the fact his third seat was an ice wielder – where Isshin and Rangiku revelled in the boiling heat of Soul Society summer, it would have been excruciating for their squad’s only ice and snow-type Soul Reaper.

Hurrying to the Officer Dormitories building, Isshin slipped into the shared room of the male seated officers. Toshiro’s bunk was at the back of the room, and it was empty – the bed made and untouched. None of the officers in the room could recall seeing the boy that evening.

After that, Isshin had rushed to the barrack gates – in hindsight, it was probably where he should have started his search. The squad members on duty answered him the same, however; Toshiro had been recorded as leaving that morning for patrol, but had not returned yet.

“I’m going out to look for him,” Isshin had told Rangiku then. “I think something has happened.”

Isshin had learned to trust his gut feeling a long time ago, and his current instincts were screaming at him that Toshiro was in trouble. Rangiku agreed to help him look for the boy, she too knowing to trust Isshin’s judgement now. She ditched her sake and instead grabbed a bottle of water in case they found the boy unwell.

That’s how they had wound up in Hiraizumi, screaming their third seat’s name to no response, as the sun set quickly behind the neighbouring forest. A gentle breeze carried through the village, but it wasn’t by any means cooling.

Isshin’s chest was tight with worry, and also guilt – he had sent Toshiro out to do patrol duty today, and he had done it as a punishment. That’s what he did to his seated officers when they need disciplining, Toshiro and Rangiku included – they were above lowly tasks such as patrol duty, so when they mucked up, Isshin sent them out to the Rukongai to patrol. It usually worked, putting the officer back in their place, and giving them a few hours alone to cool off and think about their actions. Usually they returned after their shift, apologised to Isshin for whatever they had done that warranted the punishment, and then Isshin would forgive them. They would start fresh again the next day.

Isshin should have known better than to do that to Toshiro at the height of a brutal summer.

They had fought this morning. The captain couldn’t even remember what had started it, or even what snarky remark Toshiro had made for Isshin to send him out here. It all seemed irrelevant now.

He only remembered Toshiro’s irritability that morning, and it had been third day in a row that he had been giving off attitude – it made more sense now that Isshin considered how hot it had been, if he had been an ice type himself, he would have grumpy too. Isshin had sent Toshiro out to the Rukongai to remind him that he couldn’t speak to his captain like that, even if they were closer than most teams.

“You don’t think he was attacked, do you?” Rangiku asked then, voice unsure as she looked around the quiet district.

“I hope not,” was all Isshin could say – he couldn’t bear it if Toshiro had been attacked out here. Any other day, he wouldn’t have to worry about it, but if the third seat was sick from the heat, he might not have fared so well in battle.

The only indication that a Hollow hadn’t attacked, and the only hope that Isshin was clinging too, was that there didn’t appear to be any damage to the Hiraizumi village or the surrounding trees. Hollows made mess, but there wasn’t any.

Isshin focused again, concentrating all his senses and focus on finding that familiar icy Spiritual Pressure, but again he came up empty.

“Maybe he headed home?” Rangiku suggested. “He might have had to stop on the journey if he wasn’t feeling well.”

“We would have seen him on the way here,” Isshin shook his head. “I would have felt him.”

“Well maybe he didn’t take the main road,” Rangiku offered. “It’s not covered from the sun.”

Isshin glanced at the path they had followed into Hiraizumi; it was a wide dirt road, but Rangiku was right – there was no shade over it, especially earlier in the day when the sun had been higher up. If Toshiro wasn’t feeling well due to the heat, he would have ducked into the shade, waiting until he felt better enough to make it home.

The captain turned then to the forest, noticing the skinny track that disappeared into the dense tree line. Right now it was the only theory they had, so Isshin called Rangiku to follow him and they headed into the forest.

It was cooler out of the sun, but there was no breeze like there was on the main road.

“Toshiro!”

They called his name as they ventured further into the forest, stopping every so often to listen for a response and to feel for his Spiritual Pressure.

Eventually, deep within the tall trees, Isshin finally felt it. Familiar Spiritual Pressure – but it wasn’t as cold as normal, nor was it as strong. Freezing on the spot, Isshin closed his eyes and found it – the red Spirit Ribbon of his third seat. It was muted and flickering – wherever Toshiro was, he was weak.

“This way,” Isshin told Rangiku quickly, flash stepping after the ribbon, knowing his lieutenant would follow him if she wasn’t now following the ribbon herself.

Isshin landed where the ribbon stopped, Rangiku landing beside him gently.

A small stream bubbling through the forest could be heard nearby, but otherwise this part of the forest was silent. It was dark too, the canopy overhead thick and blocking out the last of the evening light.

It was not dark enough however, that Isshin couldn’t see Toshiro’s startling white hair. The third seat was sitting at the base of a tree, slumped against the thick trunk. He didn’t look conscious.

“Toshiro?” Isshin called him, stumbling over the exposed tree roots sticking up from the ground to get to his little soldier.

The boy shifted slightly, hearing his name now, teal eyes were just visible as they turned to the approaching captain – but they were dull and tired. Isshin watched as the boy pulled himself up against the trunk, standing on shaking legs.

Isshin opened his arms for the kid as he got closer, and Toshiro took one step before collapsing. Isshin closed the gap and caught the boy quickly, his body completely limp as the captain lowered himself to the ground, gathering the small body up and into his lap.

“Toshiro?” Isshin called again, shaking his shoulder and the boy groaned.

Rangiku was there then too, crouching beside Isshin, her delicate fingers slipping into the boy’s hair – a known comfort to the kid – while her other hand pressed against the boy’s forehead first, then his cheek.

“I’ve never felt his skin this hot before, Captain,” Rangiku murmured, grimacing. Isshin nodded in agreement; Toshiro was overheated, and his uniform was damp from sweat.

The lieutenant pulled out the bottle of water she had brought along with them, and together they managed to rouse the boy into a more conscious state – at least conscious enough to swallow the water.

Eventually he started to come around properly, his speech becoming more lucid.

“I don’t feel so good,” he murmured. “It’s hot.”

“I know, Kid,” Isshin sighed. “I’m sorry.”

He continued to try soothe the boy, brushing his hair back of his face. Not that it did anything, those unruly white locks continued to bounce back, sticking to Toshiro’s sweaty forehead

Rangiku fed him more water until he was strong enough to grasp the bottle himself. After a few minutes, Toshiro was able to explain that at the completion of his patrol shift, he had felt so ill that he had stumbled into the forest for shade. He thought he could make his way slowly home that way instead, and when he had heard the water running through a nearby stream, he had tried to follow it, hoping it would be clean enough to drink from. He had never made it there though; he described feeling dizzy and seeing black spots before he had woken up on the forest floor, confused. It had been darker then and he had felt too sick to stand again, pulling himself up enough to lean against the tree trunk they had found him at.

“Sounds like you fainted,” Isshin sighed, continuing to stroke his hair as Rangiku went to the stream to collect some more water, if only to pour over Toshiro’s face to cool him.

Toshiro didn’t argue, simply turning slightly to press his face into Isshin’s haori. The captain didn’t stop him, but was unsure why Toshiro wanted to press himself against a fire wielder such as Isshin, the captain’s body naturally sitting at a higher temperature, while Toshiro’s seemed to sit at a lower than average temperature.

“I’m sorry,” Toshiro murmured then.

Isshin chuckled gently, patting the third seat’s back, “It’s not your fault, Kid. We all get sick – you’ve seen me during winter.”

Isshin, and Rangiku too actually, spent the colder days of the year wrapped in layers upon layers, and still wound up with cold and flu symptoms that lasted weeks on end. Conversely, Toshiro was upbeat and an all-round bundle of joy and confidence when the weather turned cold.

“No, I mean,” Toshiro swallowed, and a guilty teal eye peaked out from Isshin’s haori, “for what I said earlier. I’m sorry, I know you care about me.”

 _Oh._ Now Isshin remembered what they had been arguing about. Well, not about what started it originally (something to do with Byakuya Kuchiki), but the argument had turned more serious when the topic of noble privilege came up. It was an uncomfortable topic for Isshin because he was the clan leader of a very prominent noble house, but he was also aware of the unfair privilege it came with. Noble clans were favoured by Central Forty-Six – the corrupt governing body made laws to please them and allowed to get them away with serious indictments that a non-noble would have been punished severely for.

Meanwhile, ‘low class’ Souls were left high and dry, with nothing but unjust laws against them and poverty. Souls in the Rukongai that couldn’t feed themselves (and many couldn’t) were left to die by Central Forty-Six, and that was exactly what had almost happened to Toshiro before Rangiku had found him. It almost happened to Rangiku too when she was younger, but the lieutenant hadn’t been there to weigh in on the argument that started that morning in the office.

Isshin knew all this, but there was little he could do about it. It was uncomfortable having his own good fortune thrown in his face by his third seat. Toshiro had been on the side of good morality, which made it harder to rebut him, but Isshin also had a duty to his family – a family which Toshiro knew and cared for.

“Nobles don’t care if Souls are starving to death,” Toshiro had bit as the argument grew tenser.

“My family cared for you,” Isshin had reminded the boy, throwing Toshiro a challenging glare. No other third seat would talk to their captain this way.

“You didn’t care about me,” Toshiro accused then, stepping over the line. “You were happy to let me die-”

“That’s enough!” Isshin had snapped then, loudly, and he had drawn up his Spiritual Pressure to remind the boy who he was talking to – which, in hindsight, probably hadn’t helped Toshiro’s condition if he had been feeling unwell in the heat.

Isshin had gone on a lengthy rant then, one that even had Rangiku rushing into the office and telling Isshin to calm down. Again, it was an uncomfortable topic for all of them – and Toshiro’s accusation hit a particularly sensitive nerve in Isshin.

 _It hadn’t been untrue_.

He wasn’t the only one worked up though, Toshiro’s Spiritual Pressure had come up too in his emotional state, shattering an empty water glass on Isshin’s desk.

Isshin sent him out for patrol then. They both needed to calm down, and at the end of the day, Toshiro had overstepped his mark with his captain. Even though they were close, and Isshin usually welcomed the boy’s snarky remarks that were filled with humorous sarcasm and mild annoyance, but this morning’s comment had been too far.

Still, Isshin shouldn’t have sent him out to the Rukongai on such a hot day, especially alone. He should have known the boy hadn’t been feeling well already, because the Toshiro he knew wouldn’t have let the argument go that far. A healthy Toshiro wouldn’t have made that accusation knowing how much it would hurt Isshin.

Isshin looked down at the boy currently in his arms, and felt another guilty twang in his chest – he wasn’t exactly proving his own argument right now. He cared for the kid, but today he had put him in danger.

“I do care about you,” Isshin told the boy, throat tight. “You’re my kid. I’m sorry I didn’t-”

Toshiro’s exposed eye disappeared again behind the white folds of Isshin’s haori.

“I know,” came the muffled reply, cutting off Isshin’s apology.

Isshin tightened his arms protectively. They left their earlier argument at that, neither needing to say more on it. It was all in the past now – it was the present that mattered.

Rangiku returned with the water, informing them it was clean. Toshiro drank more, and when he was feeling well enough, Isshin hoisted him up against his shoulder as he stood and led them out of the forest.

The third seat protested to being carried of course, but Isshin told him to relax and rest up. He would let him walk himself from the Seireitei gate if he was worried about being embarrassed, but only if he drank all his water.

Well Toshiro didn’t drink all his water in the end, and he fell asleep in Isshin’s hold, so the captain never put him down at the gates, carrying the boy home to the Tenth.

He didn’t care who saw or what they thought. He only cared about Toshiro and making sure he was okay.

Isshin cared for this boy more than his own life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn’t planning to take requests but if there is something you want to see, drop it in a comment and I’ll try get to it (provided it stays on tone with this story)!


	10. Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toshiro’s first week in Squad Ten had been… disappointing, apparently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was one of my favourite chapters to write, so I hope you all enjoy it!
> 
> Also, I’ve started back at work this week, but I am going to try keep updates up at twice week for now. If I fall behind on writing, I may need to drop down to once a week, hope that’s okay~

Toshiro’s first week in Squad Ten had been… disappointing, apparently.

It wasn’t the job itself, or the leadership. It was the squad.

They hated him, and to be frank, he wasn’t so keen on them either.

Toshiro felt anxiety twist his stomach, a now familiar and seemingly permanent feeling inside him, as he stood inside his new captain’s office for the inevitable dressing down.

“I’m disappointed in you,” Isshin murmured.

That was the worst part for Toshiro. He knew he had disappointed them – both Isshin and Rangiku. Week one, and their new third seat had already let them down.

They probably regretted recruiting him now, at least into such a high rank straight from the Academy. Toshiro had received excellent grades, in all areas of academia, kido and combat, and had received a number of offers for places in other Squads, including a fourth seat position at Squad Eleven, and a fifth seat at Squad Five. He had considered Squad Five for a moment, since he would get to work under Momo and the famously nice Captain Aizen, but Toshiro’s heart had been with Squad Ten, and the two people that had saved him and got him into the Academy in the first place.

A third seat rank came with high responsibilities – Isshin had assured Toshiro he could handle it, but now Toshiro wasn’t so sure. In all fairness, he hadn’t screwed up his responsibilities – Toshiro was mostly confident he hadn’t done a bad job this week. The issue was the fact he didn’t fit in with this squad.

They _hated_ him.

They thought he was too young to outrank them, so Toshiro had tried to be strict and serious to show them he wasn’t a child. Then they said he was too cold to be a leader. There was no winning.

Today, tensions between him and the other officers had peaked.

They had held a training session for the seated officers – Isshin and Rangiku had left Toshiro to lead it, telling him to use it as an opportunity to bond with his closest subordinates, and to show them why he deserved his post.

Well, the training session had ended the same way it started – a total disaster.

Toshiro had tried to co-ordinate group, and run them through some new training methods from the Academy that he had noticed weren’t being used amongst the officers that were training the unseated soldiers and new recruits. Most of his officers weren’t interested, however, favouring standing around and chatting, ignoring Toshiro.

That’s when Toshiro had tried being strict. Straightening his shoulders and holding his head up, Toshiro crossed his arms and frowned deeply, tapping his foot impatiently on the wooded flooring.

“Sixth Seat Kubo,” Toshiro called over to the group of officers huddled and laughing loudly. “Do you have something to share with the group?”

Kubo and his friends turned to look at Toshiro, looking down on him and not just because they were taller.

“The joke is a bit too _adult_ for you, Kid,” Kubo smirked and his friends chuckled. Kubo was a large man, and rather arrogant. He had dark hair and even darker eyes.

His friends were Takeo, the fourth seat, and Mei, the fifth seat. Takeo was a lean man, but he made up for it in sheer height. He was tall, possibly even taller than Isshin, with light brown curls. Mei was a relatively petite woman with green tips in her long black hair, her eyes a sparkling topaz.

“Well then it’s not appropriate for the workplace,” Toshiro challenged, trying to appear tougher than he felt in front of the three of them, “and no jokes are appropriate for my training session. Now line up.”

A beat passed before Kubo and the other officers burst out laughing; over-the-top, humiliating laughter. Toshiro felt his tough façade crack for a moment, unsure what to do, and though it had only been for a second, the other officers caught it and their laughter intensified.

“Oh look at him,” Takeo wheezed. “He’s so cute when he tries to be a hard ass.”

_Cute?_ Toshiro wasn’t _cute_. Around the training hall, more officers – including the few lower ranked ones that had lined up diligently when Toshiro asked the first time – began to snigger.

“Run along, Shiro-chan,” Fifth Seat Mei laughed, making a shooing motion with her hand. “Run back to Hitsugaya.”

Toshiro flinched at that, the idea of going back to one of the poorest districts in the Rukongai to live on the streets was the last thing he wanted. He hated the nickname too, it undermined his role, and made him seem like a child when he needed to be an officer.

Of course the other officers caught the flinch, and continued to laugh loudly.

“Yeah go on, Shiro-chan,” Kubo smirked. “We’ll tell Captain Shiba you couldn’t cut it as a third seat, I’m sure he expects as much after this week, even if you are his new favourite.”

Toshiro’s eyes snapped up to Kubo and he glared, his temper flaring alongside his Spiritual Pressure for a moment. He found his resolve then, the idea of disappointing Isshin driving his desperation to be seen for the rank he had been assigned.

“Alright then Kubo,” Toshiro dropped his wooden kendo sword before he reached behind him and grabbed Hyorinmaru’s hilt. “You think I can’t cut it as a third seat? Why don’t you try me?”

The challenge was as clear as day – a duel with their real Zanpakutos and powers. As Hyorinmaru was unsheathed, the officers – apart from Kubo, funnily enough – cheered, gearing up to watch a fight. If they remembered their Seireitei History classes at the Academy then they had heard of Toshiro’s Hyorinmaru before, and now they were going to meet the ice dragon. Toshiro was confident in his power and skill with his Zanpakuto – Kubo was about to be reminded why he was only a sixth seat.

If he accepted the challenge that was, though not accepting would look worse, especially in front of his chuckling friends.

Kubo’s response was spluttered, so Toshiro increased his Spiritual Pressure, flaring it out over the group and sending the old training hall into sub-zero temperatures.

The cheering stopped then, and quiet shivering replaced it. Kubo had gone pale.

“No, Kubo? You don’t fancy challenging me now?” Toshiro sneered a little, before he turned and pointed his sword at a chuckling Takeo instead. “What about you, Fourth Seat? Care to find out if my Shikai is ‘cute’ too?”

They hadn’t seen his Shikai, but Toshiro was keen to show it off, especially since he hadn’t forgotten Takeo’s ‘cute’ comment.

Unfortunately, the officers had quickly bowed and apologised then, apparently not wanting to be shown up by a kid half their size.

It was a pity, Toshiro had been keen to show them up. Maybe he should have joined the Eleventh? Those guys never turned down a fight, or so was the rumour.

Reining back in his Spiritual Pressure and sheathing Hyorinmaru, Toshiro picked up his wooden kendo sword and jerked his head back to where the other officers had lined up.

“Get in line,” he snapped to Kubo and his little gang, and with reluctance they moved into formation, though Toshiro had to ignore the looks they exchanged, and ‘crazy freak’ comments that were whispered in hushed tones.

After that, Toshiro drilled them hard in training. He was merciless, even when he knew they were at their limits. His reasoning – how were they to ever improve if they were never pushed? Maybe then they would take him more seriously.

Alas, he may have pushed Takeo too hard – the fourth seat falling onto his wrist on the back of Toshiro’s relentless attack, and the sound of a cracking bone resonated around the hall.

He was fine. Toshiro, wide eyed and trying not to let anyone see his panic, healed it the best he could before he sent Takeo to the Fourth. He’d offered to take Takeo himself, but the fourth seat had rejected that idea.

“No, no,” Takeo shook his head almost violently, looking uneasy. “I’ll go myself.”

“You can’t go alone,” Toshiro had frowned, offering a hand out to help the man up, but Takeo all but flinched away.

“I’ll take him,” Kubo grunted, stepping forward and helping his friend up. “I think you’ve done enough, Third Seat.”

Well ‘Third Seat’ was a step up from ‘Shiro-chan’, so Toshiro was chalking this experience up to win, though he wished his new officers didn’t seem so frightened of him.

Needless to say, Isshin had received some complaints, and that’s why Toshiro had ended up standing outside his office, waiting to be spoken too.

Outside the door, Toshiro hadn’t been able to hear anything, though Isshin and Rangiku had likely been in a heated whisper about how to handle him.

The anxiety had swirled inside his body uncomfortably – if Toshiro got fired, he had no idea what he was going to do. He had nowhere else to go.

At last, the door to Isshin’s office opened and Rangiku had called him in. Taking a deep breath, Toshiro followed Rangiku into the office. The lieutenant placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently, easing a fraction of Toshiro’s nervousness.

They came to stand in front of Isshin. The captain was in front of his wide desk, and leaning back onto it, his arms crossed but his face otherwise impassive.

Toshiro bowed to him but Isshin waved him off with a sigh.

“It seems that officer training got a little out of hand today,” Isshin started. “So much so that my fourth seat has had to visit the Fourth, and my sixth seat has asked to make an official complaint about you for being, and I quote, ‘an ice cold psychopath’.”

Toshiro deflated slightly – official complaints went on a Soul Reaper’s permanent record and impacted their chances for future promotions, squad transfers, mission opportunities, and of course their reputation as a soldier. The new title didn’t help his mood, either.

“I’m not going to do that,” Isshin informed Toshiro then, seeing his face, “because I don’t think it’s fair on a new recruit’s first week.”

“Thank you,” Toshiro bowed again, and was again waved off.

“What happened?” Isshin asked, so Toshiro told him everything, from the cruel nicknames and endless laughter, to him pushing Takeo too hard in the spar.

“You can’t use your Zanpakuto to humiliate your officers,” Isshin reprimanded Toshiro with another sigh. “You have to keep a level head and not push them to the point they get injured in a basic spar.”

Toshiro kept his head down and nodded. He knew he was wrong to do that, but what else could he do? They held no respect for him. Soul Reapers normally respected power, so that’s why he had wanted to show them his – how could they deny he deserved his role when they saw what he was capable of?

“We really should talk to the officers about being more respectful to him,” Rangiku murmured quietly to Isshin who nodded.

“No, please don’t,” Toshiro pleaded with them, eyes snapping up to glance between his two superiors. “They already think you favour me, I can’t have you fighting my battles for me.”

Isshin looked down at Toshiro.

“You’re not supposed to be having battles with your own soldiers,” the captain pointed out, a challenging eyebrow raised. “They’re your family.”

“They hate me,” Toshiro gave a small shrug, feeling his emotions rise. “First they think I’m too young, then I’m too cold, and now I’m a – what was it? – a ‘psychopath’? I’m never going to be good enough for them, even with Hyorinmaru.”

“What do you mean?” Rangiku asked.

“Hyorinmaru is powerful, _I_ am powerful,” Toshiro stressed. “You said it yourself when you recruited me – my power is suited to this rank. Still they don’t respect me.” 

“It’s not your power they don’t respect,” Isshin told him, and Toshiro glanced at him in confusion. “They know you’re powerful, and after this I think they’re a little scared of it. Where they are having trouble respecting you is your physical age, and your apparent coldness.”

“I can’t change either of those things,” Toshiro complained. “I’m not going to age fast, and my Zanpakuto is an ice-type, I didn’t get a say in that.”

Isshin gave a long sigh.

“Your coldness is coming out in your personality,” Isshin explain further. “It’s not the Zanpakuto. You’re so serious and harsh with them, they think you don’t care about them.”

Toshiro closed his eyes and groaned softly. This was a doomed circle – an endless cycle of not being respected because he was too young, acting mature and strict to gain respect only to be seen as harsh and uncaring. If he appeared soft, they would treat him like a child and walk right over him. If he acted hard, he was seen as cold-hearted. There was no winning – there was no right way.

Isshin continued to talk – about being mature, but not too strict, about being caring, but not too soft, about being friendly, but holding the respect of his rank. Toshiro gradually felt his heart sink into the coldest part of his soul.

Maybe he wasn’t cut out for this role, just like Kubo said.

“You’re their family now,” Isshin continued. “Treat them as such and they’ll treat you the same. We look after our family in Squad Ten.”

Toshiro couldn’t help but scoff and mutter, “Some family.”

A family wasn’t supposed to make another family member’s first week a living Hell. A family wasn’t supposed to call a family member mean names and tell them to go back to where they came from. A family was supposed to be loving and supportive, and Squad Ten wasn’t that.

Isshin gave a low sigh then, and said the words Toshiro had never wanted to hear.

“I’m disappointed in you,” Isshin murmured.

Toshiro was dismissed then, which was probably a good thing, since that last comment had him close to tears. He never thought he would end up feeling so overwhelmed in this new role, but maybe he had just been naïve.

The only good thing about that afternoon was that Toshiro had discovered the Officer Dormitories building had the highest roof and was the least visible from the ground. He found it was a good place to cry where no one could see him.

* * *

The rest of that week, and the first half of the next, went quietly. Toshiro didn’t lead any drills or any training. He just completed his paperwork, and avoided his captain and lieutenant as much as possible. When Isshin or Rangiku did see him, they didn’t speak about the incident, simply asking how he was going with his current tasks. Toshiro completed the paperwork promptly and to perfection – at least he could be good at that part of his job, even if he wasn’t a good fit for the ‘Ten family’.

He ate meals alone, tables in the canteen clearing quickly when he sat down, since the rumours about him had clearly spread. He had seen Takeo, Kubo and the other seated officers around in the dorms and throughout the barracks, but they didn’t speak to him. Apparently Isshin and Rangiku had given them a dressing down too, despite Toshiro’s pleas, so instead of teasing him, they just ignored him, whispering behind his back.

Toshiro honestly wasn’t sure what was worse.

Things took a sudden turn however, when on the Wednesday of the second week, in the ungodly hours of the night, Toshiro smelled smoke.

He hadn’t been able to sleep with his worries, and was quick to smell the burning.

Frowning and slipping out of his top bunk, Toshiro crept out of the dorms, following the smoke smell. It got stronger towards the training halls, and when Toshiro rounded the corner to see them, he saw flames and smoke billowing out of the largest training hall, the one next to it catching fire quickly. Toshiro gasped as the second training hall was covered in flames in mere seconds with the help of the wind – these old wooden barracks would go down quickly, and the next in line after that was another training hall, and then the unseated officer dorms, where close to two hundred soldiers slept peacefully.

On the other side of the main training hall, the guard tower was also catching fire, the rising smoke infiltrating the open windows. Whichever guard was on duty hadn’t raised the alarm, and Toshiro was starting to think they hadn’t been able to. Smoke could work its evil magic quickly, rendering someone unconscious in minutes, often before they knew what was happening.

_Oh no._

Toshiro ran back to his dorm quickly and grabbed Hyorinmaru. He woke Kubo, who slept in the bunk below him.

“What do you want, Shiro-chan?” the officer grumbled, rolling over with a disgruntled huff.

“There’s a fire in the training halls,” Toshiro told him quickly, ignoring the nickname. “The guard hasn’t raised the alarm.”

Kubo sat up suddenly then, very much awake now, “Takeo is on guard by the halls tonight.”

Toshiro winced – Takeo had to be injured or unconscious; a fourth seat with his experience wouldn’t have allowed a fire to go unnoticed.

Kubo was getting out of bed, preparing to go after his friend.

“No, I’ll go,” Toshiro told him. “I can use my Zanpakuto to put the fire out. You need to lead the evacuation.”

He ordered him to use the other officers, many of whom were waking up around them in the presence of the loud and panicked discussion, to evacuate the dorms and raise the alarm. He told Kubo to send someone to wake up their captain and lieutenant whose quarters were on the other side of the barracks.

Kubo’s nod of understanding was Toshiro’s assurance that he was going to follow the order before Toshiro flash stepped from the room, pulling Hyorinmaru from his sheath as he went.

The main training hall had collapsed and the one beside it was now entirely on fire, with the third training hall catching alight and the unseated officer dorms dangerously close to being the next to go.

With no time to mess around, Toshiro called up his Shikai, sending his ice cold water dragon smashing through the inferno.

“Reign over the frosted heavens, Hyorinmaru!”

He felt the power rush out of him – the freezing cold water that scared so many. He didn’t look behind him to see if his plan was working – he was sure Hyorinmaru knew what to do – and instead flash stepped over the burning rubble and up to the top of the now burning guard tower, slipping in the window.

The small watch room was filled with smoke, and was almost impossible to see. Beneath his bare feet, Toshiro felt the floor becoming hot with the flames underneath that were making their way up the tower below them. The old wooden structure wouldn’t have long left before it too followed suit and collapsed beside the destroyed training hall.

Toshiro covered his nose and mouth, and clenched his eyes shut. He felt for Takeo’s Spiritual Pressure and found it ebbing away slowly. The young third seat almost tripped on the body when he finally navigated to it.

Takeo had a pulse, but Toshiro didn’t know if he was still breathing. Under them, the guard tower groaned ominously, the structure becoming less sound. Toshiro grabbed the fourth seat, grateful that Takeo was one of the leaner men in the Squad, though tall, and dragged him back to the window.

He was still much heavier than Toshiro could typically handle so when Toshiro threw the both of them out the window, it had been a struggle to stay up. The young third seat managed to get them clear of the flaming buildings when his strength finally gave up and they fell the rest of the way to the unforgiving concrete.

Groaning, Toshiro rolled onto his back on the hard ground, his entire body aching from the crash landing.

The air was hot – dangerously so, even for non-ice types. Smoke and ash clouded his entire vision to the point he didn’t know which way was up anymore, let alone where they had even landed. His eyes stung with painful tears, though he wasn’t sad. His lungs screamed for oxygen but there wasn’t any.

Beside him, Takeo shifted too, with a pained groan and Toshiro remembered he still needed to get the fourth seat out of here.

Willing himself to move, Toshiro roused Takeo as he tried to stand. Takeo came to a little but was even more disoriented than Toshiro was.

The third seat couldn’t see a thing, but he knew they had to get out of this place or they would suffocate on the smoke – if the flames didn’t beat the smoke to it and burn them alive.

Standing on shaky feet, Toshiro helped Takeo up and pulled the older man’s arm over his shoulder as they stumbled together.

Toshiro had no idea where his sword was now, having dropped it during the fall, or if his Shikai was still working independently to put out the flames or not. He had no protection from the fire and no idea where to go.

Somewhere in the back of his quickly becoming more and more foggy mind, Toshiro remembered about Spirit Ribbons, and he focused on a familiar and strong one – he found Isshin’s, the image of the captain’s red Spirit Ribbon far clearer than his immediate surroundings.

With Takeo hanging over him in semi consciousness, Toshiro followed the ribbon. They tripped several times on steps and uneven ground, and they clipped many of the corners they tried to take but they continued moving forward.

Toshiro couldn’t breathe and was almost completely blind, save the Spirit Ribbon in his mind but even that image was beginning to fade from his thoughts.

The third seat fought with every fibre in his body, and eventually the fresher air hit him just as Isshin’s Spirit Ribbon came to an end. He dropped the now completely unconscious Takeo and collapsed into arms that were just like the owner’s Spirit Ribbon – strong and familiar.

“Kid!” Isshin’s voice was panicked but Toshiro shook his head quickly.

“Takeo,” he coughed, pointing vaguely behind him where he had dropped the fourth seat.

Toshiro was handed off then into different arms that were more slender but still familiar – Rangiku’s.

He slumped against her, tired and coughing, spluttering all over her pink sleeping yukata as she carried him away from the smoke and into fresh air. Toshiro’s eyes stung and he kept them clenched shut but he could hear the chatter around him of various squad members. _Great_ , now they had seen their third seat being carried like a child by their lieutenant – Toshiro suspected he wasn’t going to live that down. Still, there were more important things to worry about…

“Did everyone get out?” Toshiro asked Rangiku, his voice raspy from the smoke but still she understood him.

“Yes,” Rangiku assured him. “Thanks to you.”

Rangiku sat him down on some cool grass, as she spoke quickly to other people. A few moments later she was handing him a water bottle and ordering him to drink it slowly even though he couldn’t do much with his mouth but cough. She held a cool, wet cloth to his eyes and rubbed his back gently. Eventually, Toshiro became aware of Takeo being roused awake on the grass beside them, medics from Squad Ten looking over him. They were outside their barrack gates, the rest of the squad in their standard black uniform sleeping yukatas and lining up against the barrack walls with uneasy expressions.

Toshiro didn’t know where Isshin was but he supposed the captain was busy running around putting out fires, quite literally. He was a fire wielder himself, so he probably stood a better chance in the flames than anyone, and could manipulate them away from the dormitories.

Toshiro might have fallen asleep against Rangiku side, or maybe he lost consciousness, or perhaps he just stopped thinking for a moment, but when he woke again, the air was no longer hot and smokey. He shivered, and Rangiku adjusted her arms around him. Toshiro opened his eyes to see Takeo sitting up beside them, a bottle of water clutched in his hands.

The fourth seat’s dark eyes bore into Toshiro almost uncomfortably. He looked tired and weak, but otherwise fine.

Toshiro lifted his head, “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” Takeo nodded, his voice hoarse. “Thank you for saving my life.”

Toshiro shrugged.

“We look after our family in Squad Ten,” he said simply, repeating Isshin’s words, and Rangiku squeezed him gently.

“Yeah we do,” Takeo agreed with a short chuckle that died with a sad smile. “I’m sorry I didn’t treat you as such.”

Toshiro shook his head – that didn’t matter now, not in comparison to almost burning alive.

“The fire is out,” Isshin’s voice announced then and Toshiro glanced up to see the captain approaching. He was in his sleeping yukata too, the blue material blackened with ash and scorched slightly, but the captain didn’t look harmed. “The smoke should be clear soon, then we can get everyone back to bed and sort the rest out tomorrow.”

Rangiku untangled herself from Toshiro who instantly missed her warmth.

“Smoke and ash are my forte, Captain,” she sung, slinking off towards the barracks with a sly grin. “I’ll get it cleared in a minute.”

“Sure,” Isshin rolled his eyes. “You get the easy job while Toshiro and I put out an inferno.”

He threw a wink at Toshiro before he called for Kubo and Mei to organise for all officers, seated and unseated, except those who were to return to their night guard posts, to return to their dormitories – that the barracks were now safe. He wanted Takeo to go to the Fourth but the officer politely declined, saying he felt fine and the medics had cleared his lungs, he just wanted to sleep it off. Reluctantly, Isshin let him go, with the promise they would discuss it all in the morning, and called for Mei to take over watch of the training grounds (in case another fire started).

Toshiro stood to leave too, but Isshin held a hand up to stop him, so Toshiro sat again and waited. Kubo and Takeo reunited with a one-armed hug as they led the Squad Members back through the now far less smokey barracks. Isshin spoke to some of the soldiers, and Toshiro overheard that all three training halls and the guard tower had been completely destroyed, but the dormitories had escaped, and were safe to return to. They didn’t know yet what had started the fire – though it was suspected to be an old lightbulb exploding or some dodgy wiring – but it would be fully investigated in the coming days.

Eventually Isshin and Toshiro were the last two left and the captain made his way back to his new third seat, sitting beside the ice wielder on the grass, lowering himself with a slight groan.

“I’m getting too old for this,” he chuckled, before he pulled out a Zanpakuto from his belt and handed it to Toshiro. “I believe this is yours.”

Toshiro blinked and accepted the hilt – he hadn’t even noticed Isshin carrying the second weapon, the length of the sword looking far smaller against Isshin’s much taller body. Turning over the sword in his hands, Toshiro inspected the damage – the blade was fine, though black from the ash, but the hilt was damaged, scorched by the flames. It didn’t matter; it was easily fixed, though Toshiro wasn’t sure Hyorinmaru was going to be happy at him for being left behind.

“He did you well,” Isshin murmured, gesturing to the Zanpakuto. “We saw him soaring over the fire – he put a significant amount of it out.”

“The squad saw my Shikai?” Toshiro asked, a small smile playing at his lips then.

“Couldn’t miss it,” Isshin laughed. “I think we’ll have more water damage to the grounds than fire now.”

Toshiro winced and apologised, but Isshin wasn’t upset, he was grinning. Apparently it had been what had stopped the dorms catching fire in the end.

“I heard what you said to Takeo about being family,” Isshin commented then.

Toshiro shrugged, feeling a flush in cheeks as he ducked his head. Isshin nudged him gently.

“I’m really proud of you, Kid,” Isshin sighed happily and Toshiro’s eyes snapped up to his at the praise. Chocolate eyes beamed back with pride. “You did a great job alerting the officers so they could start the evacuation, and you didn’t waste time in saving your fellow officer… though I wish you hadn’t scared me so much in the process. Try not to do that next time.”

Toshiro bit back a grin then, “I can’t promise that.”

“I know, _Toshiro_ ,” Isshin sighed then, this time more resigned than happy. “You really earned that name tonight.”

Toshiro couldn’t bite back the grin that followed his captain’s words this time. He had been named after Isshin’s favourite literary hero from his childhood, and now Toshiro believed he was finally doing the name justice.

“Anyway, we can talk about it more later with Takeo to find out what happened,” Isshin got to his feet with another groan. “For now, let’s get you to bed.”

Toshiro nodded and got to his feet, sheathing the scorched Hyorinmaru behind his back. They walked in silence towards the dormitories, the captain seemingly walking Toshiro back to bed instead of heading straight back to his own quarters. It was almost too quiet in quads and in the dark hallways. Rangiku had indeed done her job of clearing away the smoke; Toshiro couldn’t smell it at all, leaving every trace of the disaster out of sight, out of mind. Toshiro hadn’t seen the state of the burned buildings but that seemed like a problem for tomorrow – or later that day really, since the first light of dawn appeared on the distant horizon.

They reached the seated officer dorms and Toshiro stopped outside the door leading into the male bunks.

“Good night, Captain,” Toshiro bowed. It felt nice to call Isshin that; Toshiro hadn’t had much of a chance to appreciate the nobleman’s new role in his life, but he knew now he had made the right decision in picking Squad Ten as his division.

“Good night, Kid,” Isshin smiled before he turned to leave. He stopped a few steps away and glanced back over his shoulder.

“Sir?” Toshiro questioned, brow dipping in concern, but Isshin only grinned back at him.

“Welcome to Squad Ten.”

The captain slunk off then and Toshiro nodded, mostly to himself, before he turned and headed into the dorm. The other male officers were still awake and returning their bunks – they patted his back and thanked him as he passed, navigating back to his bunk above Kubo. When the lights were finally switched off, Toshiro allowed himself a private smile in the dark. Isshin’s words weren’t just a welcome into the squad but into the Ten family.

Toshiro was home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another healthy dose of TosHERO ;)
> 
> Drop a review below if you liked this chapter, it makes me grin like an idiot ^.^


	11. Heartbreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As someone who had experienced the physical pain of being stabbed, Rangiku knew categorically that this experience right now was a hundred times worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a request, but a necessary evil. If there are Charmed fans here, I drew inspiration from the end of the ‘Long Live the Queen’ episode (S4, E20).  
> I feel like it’s been a while since we checked in on Rangiku, and I’m sorry but she needs our love and support today.

Rangiku was horizontal and refused to move.

Tears streamed down her face and she sobbed hard against her pillow. Her head felt cloudy, like she couldn’t properly think, yet nothing clouded the throbbing pain against her skull.

Time was irrelevant; she didn’t know how long she had been lying in her bed, a crying mess.

It hurt, it all hurt so much.

Her head, her eyes, her cheeks – and that was just from the tears alone. Her chest ached too, her heart breaking into a million pieces.

If she could have heard her heart, it would have sounded like shattering glass, and a man was stomping on the broken pieces. It sounded no different to a man walking across gravel or pebbles, but it hit Rangiku with the pain of a thousand Zanpakutos slicing through her. As someone who had experienced the physical pain of being stabbed, she knew categorically that this experience right now was a hundred times worse.

Every few minutes, it felt like that pain was easing off, but then she remembered his words, and another sword stabbed into her chest.

“We’re over, Rangiku,” Gin had said, snarl on his lips as he pushed her hand away. “I don’t love you anymore. Goodbye.”

That was the last thing she remembered clearly, other than his back turning on her as he flash stepped away, leaving her alone in the Squad Ten gardens.

The memory again sliced through her and Rangiku screamed into her pillow.

Gods, it hurt.

Gin wasn’t just the love of her life – he was her friend, he was her family, he had been the one constant in her afterlife and now he had cut ties.

_He was her family!_

“Gin,” Rangiku sobbed again.

Her pillows were thoroughly soaked with tears now, wet patches blackened by her mascara. She didn’t need mention her running nose, but that too was making a mess.

If she had been able to see her reflection from there, she no doubt would have seen a face blotched with red, her makeup smudged and dripping off with the tears.

Rangiku Matsumoto had never cried so much in her life, but right now, she felt her whole world tipping. If she wasn’t grasping the sheets until her knuckles went white, then she was surely going to fall of the Soul Society Earth and into a big black hole. She would be lost forever, because the one person she would have counted on to never give up searching for her was the one who now never wanted to see her again.

She wouldn’t wish this pain on even her worst enemy.

Over all the sobbing, Rangiku vaguely registered the sound of her front door opening and closing, but she didn’t care to see who it was. She knew who it wasn’t and that was enough to get her to sob loudly again, curling tighter in on herself.

“Lieutenant?” Toshiro’s voice was timid from her bedroom doorway and Rangiku swallowed the next sob.

She didn’t want the boy to see her like this. She was supposed to be his pillar of strength and comfort, not the other way around.

Somewhere else in her quarters, Rangiku heard the tap running, indicating a second visitor.

If Toshiro was here, it was likely Isshin was the other visitor and Rangiku decided that was probably worse. No doubt, he already saw her as weak lieutenant in comparison others in her rank, he didn’t need to see this too.

Unfortunately he did see it, only a few seconds later when Isshin walked around her bed and saw the horrific mess that was her face.

Rangiku closed her eyes; she didn’t want to see the disappointment on his face.

After all, what was a petty breakup to a noble captain?

A moment later, she felt a warm, wet cloth on her face and the lieutenant’s breathing shuddered pathetically. The captain was quietly wiping her face, getting rid of all the old tears and ruined makeup. Behind her, she felt the light weight of her young third seat climbing up onto the bed, his little hand on her shoulder.

They didn’t ask, but Rangiku felt the need to explain.

“Gin broke up with me,” she sobbed again.

She heard Isshin sigh above her.

“He’s an idiot,” the captain said and Rangiku nodded, fresh tears spilling onto her cheeks despite her clenched eyelids.

“We came to give you a cuddle,” Toshiro voice told her from behind, his voice sounding unsure of himself, “b-because you like them, don’t you?”

Rangiku nodded. She wanted to chuckle but it wouldn’t come.

“I do like cuddles,” Rangiku tried to smile, opening her eyes and rolling onto her back to see the little third seat.

Concern was in those wide teal eyes, as well as fear. He didn’t understand it really, but he clearly didn’t like seeing his lieutenant like this. Toshiro had a cold exterior but a warm heart, and Rangiku knew he only wanted to cheer her up. He was a good kid, and he was her family too.

Rangiku grabbed the kid gently and pulled him down to lie with her, and she rolled over again to face him, cuddling him close. He relaxed into her hold, his little fists curling into her shirt. He pressed a little kiss to her forehead that was so adorable it should have been illegal, and Rangiku would have swooned and cooed, if she didn’t still have tears in the back of her throat.

Behind her, she felt Isshin settle on the bed too.

He placed a hand on her back, rubbing soothing circles. His arms never came around her, he must not have believed to be appropriate, but his hand on her back was comfort enough. He steadied her.

They let her continue to cry, staying silent but close.

Toshiro didn’t complain that she was holding him as tightly as she had been holding the sheets, and Isshin didn’t complain that she was being ‘dramatic’ or whatever he usually said.

Eventually, she calmed down; sobs turned to quiet sniffles and Toshiro played loosely with her fingers when she finally loosened her hold on him. It still hurt, worse than any weapon impaling her, but Rangiku didn’t feel alone.

She still had her two best men, even if one of them was half her height, and she still had a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry fam but it had to be done!  
> Comment and kudos to send Rangiku your love <3


	12. Bedtime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toshiro can't sleep

Toshiro rolled over in his bunk, wide awake despite the time.

Around the dorm, most of the other officers slept peacefully, their loud snores bragging the fact. Occasionally there was movement; an officer returning from a late shift or social activity, others getting ready for night patrol duties and heading out, some getting up to go to the bathroom. There was always noise in the room, and it was hot too with all the bodies in bunks.

Toshiro didn’t love it, but he could hardly complain. He hadn’t forgotten his time in the Rukongai, sleeping outside, regardless of the weather, with the dirt and the bugs. The shared officer dorm was at least a roof over his head and a mattress, thin as it was, under his back.

But just because he was grateful, didn’t mean he slept well.

Toshiro internalised the huff as not to wake Sixth Seat Kubo below him – not that Kubo ever granted him the same level of politeness – and kicked back the covers from his legs. He liked the comfort of a thick blanket across his body but the heat was just unbearable. There was no winning; cover on – he overheated, cover off – he felt exposed and anxious, one leg out/one leg in – needed constant rotation.

It didn’t help that every time the third seat closed his eyes, he saw horrors of his past – some since Soul Reaping, some from earlier. It wasn’t like this every night, and Toshiro wasn’t always sure there was a reason or a trigger, but some nights it was fresh in his brain and he was too scared to sleep because the dreams, when he had them, were horrific. His fellow officers didn’t care for it either, when he woke screaming in the ungodly hours of the morning.

Eventually, growing more and more tired yet getting no less sleepy, Toshiro gave up. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bunk, slipping down and onto the floor without making a sound. In his sleeping uniform, which was a plain black yukata, the symbol for ten stitched over the left side of the chest, Toshiro left behind his bunk and all that was on it, and crept from the dorm.

He headed straight to the office.

It was cooler for one, quieter for two. At this time of the night, Rangiku was off either drinking or sleeping, and Isshin too would have been in bed.

Toshiro padded silently through the dark halls of Tenth Division Barracks. He didn’t pass anyone on route to the administration building, but he was certain the night guards would have clocked his travel through the barracks. By now, they would have been familiar with the sight of their child third seat wandering the grounds in his pyjamas.

Reaching the administrative building, Toshiro’s intention was to do maybe an hour’s worth of paperwork to clear his mind and cool his body off, and then depending on how he felt after that, he would either return to the dorm to try sleeping again, or he would do another hour’s work. He didn’t worry about not necessarily getting in a full night’s sleep, since he often took an afternoon nap in the office anyway.

Though, he wouldn’t need to take the nap if he had proper nights’ sleep in the first place.

It was a doomed cycle.

Approaching the office, Toshiro frowned when he spotted the light on underneath the closed door.

Hesitantly, Toshiro opened the door and stepped inside.

Isshin was sitting on the office couch, reading a book. A tea that was almost full but no longer steaming with heat sat seemingly abandoned on the coffee table. The captain looked comfortable, like he had been there for hours and hadn’t moved, his eyes moving furiously over the text, his uniform creased from wearing it all day. He was engrossed in the novel, and didn’t notice Toshiro’s entry straightaway.

“Captain?”

Isshin glanced up last, surprise in his eyes, “Hey, Kid.”

“What are you doing here at this hour?” Toshiro asked. Surely the captain’s private quarters were a nicer reading spot than the office?

Isshin blinked, his eyes moving to the clock on the wall as shock overcame him for a moment.

“I didn’t even notice,” he chuckled in disbelief. “Sometimes a good book takes hold of me and I can’t put it down.”

Toshiro supposed he understood that too, being an avid reader himself.

Not wanting to disrupt his captain further, Toshiro simply nodded and moved quietly towards his desk. He hadn’t planned to work in anything but silence anyway, so hopefully Isshin wouldn’t mind if he stayed and did some work.

“Wait,” Isshin frowned, glancing back at the clock and then at Toshiro, eye’s moving swiftly over the uniform sleeping yukata he was wearing. “What are _you_ doing here at this hour?”

Toshiro shrugged, “Couldn’t sleep.”

“Well paperwork won’t help with that,” Isshin told him. “Your brain will be too active to sleep.”

“I find it works for me most nights,” Toshiro disagreed.

“Most nights?” Isshin queried, and Toshiro grimaced – he had said too much.

When Isshin had first sat down with Toshiro to explain to him that he would likely have to enrol at the Spiritual Arts Academy, the captain had voiced some concerns he had about it. He hadn’t wanted it for Toshiro, citing that Soul Reaping was no career for a child. At the time, Toshiro hadn’t known what he meant, but now he did.

It came with its share of traumatic moments that stayed with the Soul for the rest of their afterlife, that revisited them in the form of nightmares at night and unexpected flashbacks during the day. They dealt with it in silence, because this was their job.

And at the end of the day, the Souls that they helped and saved were more important, and it was those moments they held onto.

Toshiro didn’t want to make Isshin feel guilty about what he suffered at night, when the captain had very little choice in the end. The boy had to enrol to control his powers, and Toshiro never regretted it.

“It’s hot in the dorms,” Toshiro told him, as if it might have satisfied the loaded question, “and noisy.”

Isshin regarded him for a moment, but nothing got past him.

“And the nightmares?” he asked, sitting up straighter.

Toshiro sighed and shrugged.

“They’re not so bad,” he swallowed, “except for when they are. It’s not an issue at all when I can’t get to sleep in the first place.”

Isshin’s brow furrowed, deciphering that message. Toshiro didn’t wait for an answer though, reaching straight for the first file in his in-tray and reading it over.

“Come here, Toshiro,” Isshin’s voice was calm and Toshiro glanced up to see the man moving to the end of the couch and patting the cushion next to him.

Toshiro blinked – was this going to be another one of their heart to hearts? It was way too late in the evening for that.

Sensing the hesitation, Isshin chuckled and gestured him over again.

Never one to disobey a direct order, Toshiro stood and made his way over to the couch, climbing up next to his captain. Isshin grabbed one of the pillows from the couch corners and rested it against the outside of his hip.

“Lie down,” Isshin spoke softly, “head on the pillow.”

Toshiro did as he was told, putting his head on the pillow at Isshin’s hip, and laying across the rest of the couch. The cushions were warm from where Isshin had been situated previously, but it was a comforting kind of warm – not the type that made the ice wielder’s skin crawl like the heat of the dorms.

The blanket that hung over the back of the couch was thrown over his legs and pulled up over his shoulders.

“Close your eyes,” Isshin murmured. “If the light gets too much, you can roll over.”

Confused but tired, Toshiro simply followed the instruction, closing his eyes.

Isshin’s hand squeezed his shoulder reassuringly before it settled in Toshiro’s white locks, the captain stroking his hair gently. In seconds, the third seat felt his body relaxing against the couch, the tension rolling off his muscles.

Isshin’s quiet voice filled the room then, as he spoke softly. After a moment, Toshiro realised he was reading again, this time out loud, though his tone was gentle.

Toshiro found that he wasn’t really listening – that he didn’t know or care what the characters’ names were or what plot was unfolding. Isshin’s voice soothed him into such a relaxed state that he forgot where he was or who he was with, or why he was there in the first place.

He was warm – in the good way – and so utterly comfortable. His eyes were closed and now too heavy to even consider opening. His heart thudded gently and evenly, and soon after, Toshiro was asleep.

That was the first time Isshin read to him.

It didn’t take long for it to become a bit of a routine – albeit not one that was practiced with consistency.

Most nights Toshiro went to the dorm, and depending on his level of tiredness, he slept. Either well or not so well, it didn’t matter. His afternoon nap in the office the following day would make up for it.

On the bad nights, Toshiro travelled to Isshin’s quarters. If the captain was still up, they sat together on his luxurious couch, and the captain read him to sleep. If the man wasn’t awake when Toshiro got there, Isshin had given him a key and told him to make himself at home. He always left out a book, a pillow and a blanket on the couch – which by all standards, was more comfortable than his bunk – and Toshiro would read to himself, hearing Isshin’s voice in his head as he did so. It took a little longer when he did it on his own, but it always worked eventually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to post this chapter before I hit some of the requests because it’s gonna be relevant~
> 
> NEXT UP: Request chapter for the lovely RainbowStarMountain!


	13. Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isshin should have known this day would finally come – the day that Toshiro would be gravely injured in the line of duty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh booyyyy this chapter is a doozy, and I’m warning you all; there is a tone shift and some violence (canon level violence). 
> 
> It is a request for my dear friend, RainbowStarMountain, who sends me the most lovely FFN reviews and PMs :)  
> Request: Injured Toshiro and Isshin’s reaction

Isshin should have known this day would finally come.

He hadn’t wanted to think about it because the whole idea scared the life out of him. It had become his biggest fear – the day that Toshiro would be gravely injured in the line of duty.

It was always going to happen – Toshiro was a third seat and an active fighter, it was his job to fight Hollows. Isshin couldn’t protect him on every occasion.

Today was such an occasion. Today Isshin had failed to protect his littlest soldier. In fact it was his littlest soldier who protected Isshin.

It had started when an unseated officer on patrol duty in the Rukongai, in a far out district under the Tenth’s jurisdiction known as Shirakawa, didn’t return home to the barracks at the end of his shift. It escalated when his line officer, Twelfth Seat Nakamura, went out to search for her soldier and also didn’t return.

Concerned, Isshin had organised a troop to go out find their missing soldiers and both Toshiro and Fourth Seat Takeo had volunteered to go. The captain had agreed to that, given they were both excellent officers and two that actually worked well together. Plus Toshiro had a powerful Shikai behind him, as did Takeo – Isshin had sent them out to Shirakawa with four other unseated officers for back up. They were not to take any chances – they were instructed to retreat if necessary, they were instructed to contact Isshin for emergency backup if necessary.

Well, the call had come in just a few hours after the troop had set off.

“Takeo is requesting backup,” Rangiku had burst into the office where Isshin had been trying to concentrate on some paperwork as a distraction from the nerves in his stomach. Rangiku too had been working more diligently than usual, and that was almost never good sign.

Isshin didn’t need telling twice, grabbing Engetsu as he strode from the office, Rangiku quick on his heels. They were joined by their fifth and sixth seats, Mei and Kubo.

“What did Takeo say?” Isshin asked, picking up his pace and jumping into a flash step.

“It’s an Adjuchas,” Rangiku breathed.

Isshin’s eyes snapped to the lieutenant as she flash stepped beside him.

An Adjuchas in the Rukongai? Isshin had never come across one before but they were supposedly as powerful as a Soul Reaper Captain. Worst of all, where Adjuchas normally stirred, so did an army of Gillians.

There was no way Toshiro’s troop, even with Hyorinmaru in play, could defeat an Adjuchas and an army of Gillians.

Fear stabbed through Isshin’s chest, and he thought of Toshiro – his little third seat with a sword and a heart, both of which were too big for his small body.

Hurrying, Isshin pushed his flash step beyond a speed that was comfortable for him and Rangiku and the officers struggled to keep up beside him. Eventually they landed in Shirakawa to find the district had been almost entirely flattened.

Buildings were destroyed, smoke billowed out of the rubble, but the source of the destruction could not be found, and neither could his troop.

Isshin’s eyes scanned the town – the air felt dangerous still, and he could feel the evil Spirit Energy of a powerful hollow nearby. He felt uneasy, like someone – or something – was watching them.

“Captain!” a familiar voice hissed, just loud enough for Isshin to hear.

They whipped around and spotted Takeo crouching behind the last standing wall of an otherwise blown apart shrine.

Sprinting over, Isshin stopped abruptly when he saw it, and beside him Rangiku gasped. Mei and Kubo stilled, choking on their breaths.

Takeo wasn’t alone – he was with the unseated officer who had disappeared two days ago.

His name had been Daiki Kobayashi. He was now dead.

Isshin crouched down to cup the dead soldier’s face – he was cold. His uniform was covered in blood, but it had dried. He had been pierced directly through the heart. Isshin closed his eyes and said a silent prayer; he hoped that he hadn’t suffered.

“What happened?” the captain asked, voice thick as he opened his eyes again.

He hadn’t lost a soldier, he had lost a family member. The Tenth had lost a brother.

“We found him like this,” Takeo’s voice shook. “We can’t leave him here.”

Isshin managed a nod – he would get the whole story later but now wasn’t the time. Somewhere around them, an Adjuchas lurked.

He agreed with Takeo though – Isshin would not leave him. Kobayashi was coming home.

“We won’t leave him behind,” Isshin assured Takeo. “Where’s the Adjuchas?”

“He’s disappeared into the shadows,” Takeo swallowed as Isshin frowned, not understanding. What shadows? “He keeps sending Gillians as a distraction.”

That certainly explained the huge mess of the town.

It was then that Isshin noticed Takeo’s shoulder. It was bleeding through his black uniform – he had been hit by a Gillian’s beam. Isshin reached over and began healing it instantly, and the wound began knitting together. Since Toshiro had come into his life, and especially following the incident when he had accidentally gotten drunk on Rangiku’s vodka tea, Isshin had devoted far more time to healing kido. He found he actually had a rather good knack for it, and if he was being honest, that string of magic was actually way more interesting than he had ever given it credit for.

“Where’s your troop?” Rangiku was the one to ask.

 _Where was Toshiro?_ That’s what Isshin wanted to ask, but he focused on Takeo’s wound, ears sharp and awaiting a response.

“The unseated officers are evacuating the civilian Souls,” Takeo explained, pointing to the partially destroyed forest. “We found Twelfth Seat Nakamura too, she was alive but badly injured.”

“Was alive?” Rangiku clarified concern in her voice.

“She could barely walk,” Takeo sounded scared, and that was the first time Isshin had heard his fourth seat’s voice sound like that. “She had taken cover in that house over there.”

Isshin and Rangiku turned where Takeo was pointing, and the captain felt his stomach drop when he spotted the piled of rubble that was once a family home.

“Third Seat Hitsugaya was over there helping her when a Gillian blew it apart,” Takeo continued. “I don’t know if they survived it.”

Inside his chest, Isshin felt a stabbing pain. Toshiro was somewhere under that collapsed house with their squad’s twelfth seat. Takeo didn’t know if either of them were alive.

Immediately Isshin focused, taking his hands away from Takeo’s shoulder to devote his energy to a new cause, silently begging the gods as he did. Relief washed over him when he felt the icy Spiritual pressure he had come to love. Toshiro was alive, albeit trapped. Nakamura too was still alive, though her energy was severely weakened. They needed to get them out of there.

“Kubo, do you think you can carry Kobayashi?” Isshin turned to his sixth seat, who was arguably the physically strongest of Isshin’s seated officers. Kubo nodded solemnly, so Isshin squeezed his shoulder. “Head for the forest and stay in the tree line, make your way back to the Tenth. We will cover for you.”

“Yes, Sir,” Kubo nodded and bent down to pull Kobayashi’s body from Takeo’s arms. With his all too still cargo, Kubo flash stepped away, and they spotted him at the entrance to the forest before he moved again.

A red beam shot out at him and blew the place he had just be standing to pieces, a number of trees exploding in its wake. Kubo cleared the attack by a fraction. Isshin and Rangiku ran out from the behind the wall to see a huge Gillian standing over the town, another red beam shooting from its mouth after Kubo, narrowly missing the sixth seat again.

“Growl, Haineko!” Rangiku shouted, pulling her Zanpakuto from her hip. The blade disappeared, transforming to ash that was cast out at the Gillian, and sliced the creature through the middle.

The Gillian screeched and withered away, and Kubo flew from sight, heading back to the Tenth and away from the battlefield.

Isshin was impressed at his lieutenant’s speed and power; Rangiku’s Shikai was far more dangerous than it seemed and she had been smart to use it instantly. It was not worth wasting time.

“Good work, Rangi-” Isshin began to tell her, but the sound of screaming cut him off, and black shadows struck them both out of nowhere, sending the captain and lieutenant flying backwards.

They landed roughly on gravel, and Isshin groaned. They glanced up to see a Hollow approaching – he was smaller than the Gillian and more humanoid, though not as similar to a human as the Vasto Lorde level were rumoured to look.

This was the Adjuchas. His skin was charcoal grey with swirling midnight patterns. His smiling bone mask was pearly white with fangs instead of teeth, and he had claws for hands that looked more skeletal than fleshy. He was tall; twice the size of Isshin easily, and three times as wide. Instead of legs, he had a long tail that was somewhere between shark and mermaid. He slithered instead of walked, though his body stayed upright. He laughed menacingly, his chuckle echoing around the district.

“A captain and a lieutenant,” the Adjuchas’ voice was high pitched and teasing. “My, my, this will be a challenge.”

Isshin shot to his feet, while Rangiku picked herself up beside him too.

“Who are you?” Isshin demanded.

“They call me the Necromancer,” the Adjuchas introduced himself. “I’m going to rid the world of Soul Reapers.”

“Not my watch,” Isshin muttered, pulling his Zanpakuto from its’ sheath.

He knew better then to strike up a conversation with Hollows, especially a powerful one. Often they just spilled evil garbage as a distraction – too many times Soul Reapers fell for it and found themselves injured and in a tricky spot.

“Very well, Captain,” the Necromancer smirked, apparently also not one for idle chit chat. “Let’s get on with it, shall we?”

Behind the Adjuchas, the sky ripped open, revealing a dark slit. A Gillian appeared, followed by another, and then another. Soon there were about ten of the giant Menos-class hollows.

Without needing to be told, without even hesitating, Takeo and Mei shot at them, their Zanpakuto’s raised, screaming for the release of their Shikais. Rangiku leapt to join them too.

His team would take care of the Gillians, Isshin would tackle the Adjuchas.

The Necromancer’s shadows struck out like razor vines after Rangiku. Isshin flash stepped to meet them, blocking their path to his lieutenant and slicing them away, the sounds of wails of despair dying with them. Though they certainly appeared to be shadows, they cut like solid objects and the screamed like dying Souls. They were tentacles of darkness, sharp and cold with evil. It wasn’t hard to imagine where the Adjuchas had gotten his nickname – the Menos reeked of death.

Unperturbed, the Necromancer smirked and more shadows shot out of him, whipping towards Isshin with speed.

“Do you like the screams my shadows make?” the Necromancer asked teasingly. “They’re the sounds of my dying victims.”

The captain moved quickly, weaving between them with agility and grace most didn’t expect him to have, but Isshin was determined. This asshole had killed his soldier and had injured his best officers – he was going to pay.

“Recognise any?” the Necromancer continued, his grin growing wide with sick entertainment.

Another shadow shot at Isshin, this one screaming in a familiar voice. Kobayashi.

The captain’s movements stuttered for just a moment, his eyes wide with shock as Kobayashi’s screams hit his ears. The shadow sliced through his shoulder, sending Isshin toppling for a moment, though the sound of his soldier’s death hurt him more than the razor shadows ever could.

Isshin collected himself quickly though, remembering just who needed to pay for Kobayashi’s death.

Dodging the next rain of screaming shadows, Isshin descended quickly on the Necromancer, slashing his sword as he did so. He was beyond angry – he was grieving the loss of his soldier. Isshin was fuelled with fiery wrath, like the Zanpakuto blazing inside him. Around him, his Spiritual Pressure erupted, and he called up his Shikai.

“Burn, Engetsu!”

The captain slashed at the Necromancer as his blade exploded in flames, cutting through the shadows easily and causing the Necromancer to grunt and push off his tail, jumping back out of the way. With the power and heat of Isshin’s Shikai, the shadow vines were useless. Isshin flash stepped towards the Necromancer and slashed again, this time his blade meeting the Adjuchas’ claw hands. They were skeletal, not bleeding as the sword cut into them. They grabbed Isshin’s burning blade with ease before the Necromancer yanked it away, pulling Isshin with it as more shadows struck.

The shadows sliced through Isshin’s side, causing the captain to grunt in pain. Reacting quickly, he twisted Engetsu out of the Necromancer’s claws and slashed again, this time hitting his target. The Necromancer screamed in high pitched pain as he leapt away again, clutching the part of his chest that Isshin had sliced open.

The Squad Ten captain jumped back too, his side hot with stinging pain. He used his free hand to feel the injury through his uniform. A clean slice, though not too deep, certainly not as deep as Isshin had caught the Necromancer, who was now bleeding heavily.

Across the battlefield, the Necromancer snarled through the pain.

“How can you fight me,” the Adjuchas hissed, “when you’re busy fighting them?”

He pointed towards where Rangiku and the officers were struggling to defeat the Gillian numbers, which had tripled since Isshin had last looked. Red beams of destruction were flying everywhere, destroying more trees, more buildings, even occasionally each other. Rangiku, Mei and Takeo seemed to be dodging them well enough but it was clear they were getting overwhelmed and tired. Takeo with his injured shoulder looked almost at the end of his strength.

Isshin glared back at the Necromancer as the Adjuchas cackled and disappeared, quite literally into the shadows as Takeo had said. Engulfed by his own black vines for a second, the Necromancer vanished into thin air. Growling in frustration, Isshin turned and shot for the Gillians. No doubt the Necromancer was lurking somewhere, ready to catch them distracted but Isshin had to help out his team – they were struggling and more Gillians kept appearing.

With his Spiritual Pressure actively searching out the Necromancer, Isshin turned his Shikai on the Gillian army, slicing and burning them to a withering death in batches. Gillians were no match for a captain. Still, their numbers were endless – Isshin and his team were too outnumbered, too overwhelmed.

Then a miracle happened.

An enormous dragon figure made of ice cold water erupted from the rubble, shooting up and taking out two Gillian’s with it. It roared loudly, its red eyes piercing and dangerous, though Isshin sighed in relief when he saw it. He knew the gentle blue hue of his third seat’s Shikai anywhere.

Hyorinmaru was back in the game, and Toshiro was on his feet again.

Isshin spotted the boy standing amongst the rubble of the house he had been trapped under, his small form glowing white with his exploding Spiritual Pressure, his uniform flapping in the wind created by his own power. Toshiro’s eyes were closed in concentration, and his arm was raised, holding his long Zanpakuto blade up to the sky, which had immediately become covered in dark stormy clouds.

Behind him, Twelfth Seat Nakamura was struggling to her feet, using her own sword as a cane to stand.

“Takeo,” Isshin called out to his fourth seat. “Take Nakamura to the Fourth.”

“Captain, I-” Takeo tried to argue but Isshin cut him off, ordering him to go.

The fourth seat’s intentions were honourable but he was going to be injured and useless soon, and both he and Nakamura would become liabilities to protect.

And Isshin had lost one soldier today, he wasn’t about to lose more.

Relenting, Takeo dropped down and collected Nakamura while Hyorinmaru’s attack provided enough cover for them to escape.

Isshin dropped down to Toshiro and rushed forward to the boy. Toshiro’s face and arms were scratched up and bleeding a little, bruises forming on his pale skin, but he didn’t have any substantial injuries.

“Kid, are you alright?”

Toshiro’s eyes flickered open and teal met chocolate. Toshiro nodded.

“I’m sorry about Kobayashi,” Toshiro murmured sadly, and Isshin shook his head gently.

It wasn’t anyone’s fault. Kobayashi had been killed on what was supposed to be a standard patrol duty – no one could have predicted it. No one would have expected an Adjuchas to be in the Rukongai.

“We’ll avenge him,” Isshin assured the boy, and Toshiro nodded in agreement.

They turned to where Rangiku, Mei and the Shikai form of Hyorinmaru were still cutting down Gillians. Their numbers finally seemed to be going down – the Necromancer’s army was reaching its end. Together, Isshin and Toshiro joined the fight with blades of fire and ice respectively. Within minutes, the Gillian numbers were dwindling to their final numbers. Isshin kept a close eye on his team – Mei was struggling, so was Toshiro, both with their light injuries. Rangiku was uninjured but tiring quickly, her stamina had never been great. Still, they powered through – loyal to their jobs, their squad, their captain and the officer they had lost.

Finally the Gillians were defeated.

The four Soul Reapers dropped back to the Shirakawa ground. Rangiku helped Mei stand, the fifth seat sporting a new injury on her leg from a Gillian’s red beam, but it was mostly a flesh wound.

Isshin turned to Toshiro as the third seat dropped lightly to the ground beside him.

“Good save, Kid,” Isshin smiled at the boy.

If it hadn’t been for him and Hyorinmaru, they would still be neck deep in Gillian attacks.

Toshiro smiled back, “Thanks.”

Suddenly screams pierced Isshin’s ears as the boy lurched forward and pushed the captain away, his sweet smile disappearing and morphing into fear. It was the image that burned into Isshin’s mind as he realised the screams of the shadow vines morphed with a new, terribly familiar voice.

Behind a cry of pain, Toshiro stood before Isshin, a black shadow that was as sharp as any blade protruding from the centre of his chest. It had been an attack that was meant for Isshin, but Toshiro had taken the hit.

Isshin stared in shock, the world dead silent for a second, even his heart was silent. A beat later, Toshiro cried out again as the razor shadow withdrew from his chest out his back. The third seat collapsed to the ground and behind him, the Necromancer smirked wildly.

“Is it just me or are Soul Reapers getting smaller?” the Necromancer chuckled.

In that moment, Isshin had seen red. He leapt up into the air and slashed his sword downwards, pulling out a Shikai attack he had never needed to use before.

“Getsuga Tensho!”

Immediately a white light erupted from his sword, exploding the ground as it shot towards the Adjuchas. Every ounce of Spiritual Energy that Isshin had was poured into his attack as it engulfed the Necromancer.

The Adjuchas died with it, and that was a scream Isshin had relished in.

Isshin dropped back to the ground, sheathing his sword, and a moment later reality hit. Isshin turned to find Rangiku and Mei hovering over the collapsed form of their third seat. Isshin was there in an instant, rolling the boy over. Toshiro’s eyes were closed, the side of his face covered in dirt and bloody scratches, his body completely limp and his uniform steady becoming drenched in blood. Fear rolled down Isshin’s spine as his hands began to glow with desperate magic, his palms alight with the soothing green of healing kido.

But it did nothing.

Isshin could feel Toshiro’s skin trying to knit back together but the blood continuing to poor out of him was too much for even the captain’s practiced kido to handle. The injury ran too deep.

“Captain, he needs the Fourth,” Rangiku’s voice was panicked but seemed distant compared to the blood pounding in Isshin’s ears. “Toshiro needs-”

Cutting her off with a deep growl, Isshin gave up his kido. He whipped off his haori and wrapped the boy up in it, in an effort to put some pressure on the bleeding. He barked at Rangiku and Mei to follow him before he scooped Toshiro up and flash stepped in the direction of the Seireitei gates.

It was the quickest Isshin had ever moved, and he held Toshiro tightly against him. The boy groaned softly when Isshin bounced over rooftops.

“Stay with me, Son,” Isshin ordered the kid.

Toshiro slurred incoherently, but Isshin was sure he heard him say ‘Dad’. Isshin’s heart clenched as he flash stepped – it had been a long time since the boy had called him that.

He prayed it wouldn’t be the last.

Isshin arrived at the Fourth Division and made quite the commotion; passing Toshiro’s bloodied body off to one of the nurses. He demanded Unohana see his third seat, trusting no one else to save him, but apparently they didn’t appreciate his yelling. The squad’s fourth seat tried to calm him but Isshin shook him off – the fourth seat was a kid too, though older than Toshiro, but he seemed just as sweet. It made Isshin feel sick.

Eventually Isane had to come out to deal with Isshin, sending him back to the waiting room with the angry warning that his commotion could distract Unohana in her surgery – because apparently Toshiro need a major surgery.

Feeling helpless, Isshin collapsed into a seat in the waiting room, head in his hands. This was the most scared he had ever been in his life, and the image of Kobayashi’s lifeless face flashed in his mind in between the image of Toshiro’s terrified face and the shadow piercing through his chest. He heard both of their screams and it was deafening.

Toshiro was never meant to take the blow for Isshin, but he was too quick, too loyal. He had called Isshin ‘Dad’ again.

Isshin couldn’t even muster up the energy to be mad at him for making the sacrifice. He knew that’s what students were taught at the academy – _protect your captain._

Soon Isshin felt Rangiku sit beside him. She murmured that Mei was getting her leg seen to, and both Takeo and Nakamaru were here too being treated, before she wrapped her arms around Isshin’s bicep and pressed her face into his shoulder. She was crying but Isshin couldn’t move to comfort her. He couldn’t move, period.

It was hours before Unohana finally emerged from her operative theatre. The Head Captain had come and gone, requesting a report – an Adjuchas in the Rukongai was unheard of before today. Mei and Takeo, who had been sitting with Isshin and Rangiku since they had found them after having their own injuries seen too, offered to return to the division and write up the report for the commander.

They had asked about the funeral arrangements for Kobayashi, but Isshin brushed them off. He couldn’t think about that right now, not when it could end up being a double funeral with his little third seat in the next coffin. Besides, Nakamura would want to be there, and she was resting in a patient room down the hall.

Takeo and Mei nodded and left together, and Rangiku reminded Isshin they would have to head back to the Tenth sooner or later to talk to their squad members – they deserved to know the truth that their comrade had been killed, though they may have already known since that was where Kubo had returned with Kobayashi’s body.

Isshin agreed, but he couldn’t – he wouldn’t – move until he heard about Toshiro.

Finally Unohana entered the waiting room, her face calm as always, though her eyes were solemn.

“We’ve done all we can do,” she informed them calmly. “It’s up to Hitsugaya to pull through now.”

Isshin stared, while Rangiku let out an uneasy exhale, gripping a sheathed Hyorinmaru tightly in her hands. She must have brought the sword back herself.

Unohana went on to explain the blood loss had been an issue, and that she had to give Toshiro a number of transfusions to keep him alive while she operated on him. The shadows had narrowly missed his heart, but had sliced through several important arteries and pierced his lung.

“If he is strong, he will pull through,” Unohana murmured.

Isshin knew Toshiro was strong – in power, and mentally, but physically not so much. He was just a child.

Unohana allowed them to see Toshiro, taking them to his room. The doctor captain gave them some privacy, leaving them alone in the room.

Isshin swallowed thickly as he stared down at the boy on the bed. He looked so fragile, so small and vulnerable. The captain and lieutenant took up seats at each side of the bed, their hands finding Toshiro’s, while Isshin used his free hand to brush through the boy’s snowy hair. Rangiku placed Hyorinmaru down, leaning it against the wall by Toshiro’s head – they knew the boy would want his dragon close.

Around them, machines beeped steadily. Tubes disappeared inside Toshiro’s body and an oxygen mask sat over his nose and mouth, helping his weakened lungs.

Outside the window, the sky was growing dark. The sun was setting on what was a truly awful day for Squad Ten.

* * *

Isshin had stayed at the hospital overnight, but he had sent Rangiku home to the barracks to catch up with the squad. Really, Isshin should have been the one to do that but he couldn’t bring himself to leave Toshiro’s bedside, even when Kaien had stopped in to check in on them.

Apparently news had spread.

The Tenth had lost a brother, and might lose another at any moment.

Still, Isshin refused to move – though he conceded to holding a full squad assembly later the next day.

Rangiku returned in the morning with a fresh uniform for Isshin and the news that the Tenth had handled Kobayashi’s death as well as they possibly could have, and that their thoughts and prayers were with Toshiro.

Isshin changed and returned to the hospital room just as Toshiro was beginning to stir.

“Captain, he’s waking up,” Rangiku spoke quickly when Isshin entered the room.

The captain stilled, eyes snapping to the body in the bed. Toshiro’s fingers were twitching in Rangiku’s loose hold, and after a moment his head turned, a groan in his throat.

Isshin’s eyes went wide and he called out for a nurse before he rushed to the bedside, leaning over the boy and cupping his face gently.

“Toshiro, can you hear me?” Isshin called out to the boy.

Slowly Toshiro’s eyes fluttered open and tired teal irises were revealed. They were glassy and disoriented, but they were so beautiful, Isshin wanted to cry in relief.

Unohana rushed into the room, accompanied by her lieutenant and a couple of nurses. They pushed Isshin out of the way as they fussed over the boy who quickly became distressed.

Toshiro called out, voice muffled under the oxygen mask, as his tired limbs tried to push away the nurses. Isshin could only watch from a distance as Unohana’s team surrounded him. The nurses reported findings to Isane, and Unohana opened up his patient yukata and inspected the wound. Isshin couldn’t see it with all the bodies in the way and part of him didn’t want know what it looked like.

“Isshin, a word?” Unohana murmured after a moment, and nodded her head towards the door. She had an update on Toshiro’s condition.

He followed Unohana out into the hall closely, almost stepping her heels in desperate anticipation.

“The boy has woken up a lot sooner than expected,” she told Isshin. “He is responding well to the treatments, and is engaging his own Zanpakuto to heal over his wounds.”

Isshin frowned – Toshiro could do that? Or was it Hyorinmaru working independently to heal his host Soul?

“I’ll look into it,” Unohana informed Isshin, noticing his confused expression, “but it has been long since known that ice-type Zanpakutos have excellent healing qualities. My lieutenant can do wonderful things with hers.”

Isshin nodded – he hadn’t known that but it made sense. Ice was used to numb pain and to slow rot or infection.

“It is still early stages, and we will keep a close eye on him,” Unohana continued, “but it looks like he is going to recover.”

Isshin exhaled in relief, his face crumpling with emotion. He prayed Unohana was right about that.

“I have the nurses giving him more anaesthetic for the pain,” Unohana continued. “It is best that he sleeps as much as possible.”

Isshin nodded and returned to the hospital room as the nurses filed out. He found Rangiku sitting on the edge of the bed and hovering over Toshiro, cupping his face and whispering soft words to him, though it was clear the boy was unconscious again.

“How is he?” Isshin asked, taking back his seat.

“We’re a little bit anxious about being in the hospital,” Rangiku informed Isshin quietly, and he knew by ‘we’ she just meant Toshiro, her tone light as if she was worried the boy might still be awake, “and especially about being left alone here.”

Isshin smiled weakly at the boy. Sometimes he forgot just how young Toshiro really was. He remembered why he hadn’t wanted the kid to enrol at the Academy in the first place.

“He wanted you,” Rangiku continued. “I tried to explain that you were talking to Unohana but I don’t think he believed me. He wasn’t really with it.”

Isshin sighed, expecting as much with those anaesthetic drugs the boy had been given. He was likely very delirious.

The captain explained to Rangiku then what Unohana had told him. Rangiku was just as relieved too, but it was just hope. They didn’t know for sure if Toshiro would be okay – they could still lose him.

As if hearing their unspoken thoughts, Toshiro whimpered quietly, his brow furrowing in his sleep.

Isshin grimaced and reached up to brush back Toshiro’s hair off his face in an effort to comfort him.

They sat like that for a long time, as Toshiro’s eyes fluttered under his eyelids. Isshin spoke softly, reciting as much of ‘The Tales of Toshiro’ as he could remember, knowing it was the boy’s favourite book and Isshin reading to him had always helped him get to sleep.

Soon, the boy’s breaths went deep and even, and his body relaxed; completely asleep.

“Don’t forget about the assembly,” Rangiku murmured quietly and Isshin nodded solemnly. He had promised, and he owed it to his squad to speak to them. He also owed it to Kobayashi.

“I haven’t forgotten,” Isshin sighed. “Go ahead and call it. I’ll swing by Nakamura’s room first and meet you there.”

Rangiku nodded and slipped off the bed, sweeping from the room silently. Isshin grimaced down at the sleeping third seat. He didn’t want to leave the boy, especially knowing how scared he was, but Isshin also had a responsibility to his soldiers, and to the one he had lost.

Isshin hoped he could slip out, hold what was going to be the most miserable assembly his squad had had in a long time, and return before the boy woke again.

Gently, Isshin released Toshiro’s hand and stepped away from the bed.

“I’ll be right back, Kid,” Isshin whispered into the quiet room.

When Toshiro didn’t stir, the captain slipped out and hurried down the hall to his Twelfth Seat’s patient room.

* * *

The assembly was as terrible as predicted, but the squad handled it well.

Isshin confirmed Kobayashi’s death, and explained that he had been killed by Adjuchas. Unfortunately, no one had been with him when he passed away and that was a regret Isshin would always live with. Rangiku stepped in then to remind everyone how much Kobayashi had loved his squad – he hadn’t died alone because he had always held the Ten family in his heart.

Kobayashi’s friends stood near the front of the assembly and nodded in agreement.

Isshin told them they would hold a funeral for him in three days’ time, and that Nakamura was going to lead the planning from her hospital bed until her release tomorrow – she had been Kobayashi’s line manager, she would be the one to bury him.

“How is Hitsugaya?” Kubo had been the one to ask, which was a surprise since he and Toshiro had never really clicked.

The sixth seat’s face was solemn though, and full of regret. Maybe he was regretting treating Toshiro the way he did, or maybe he just cared more about the boy than anyone had ever given him credit.

Hundreds of eyes turned on Isshin then, awaiting an answer.

“Toshiro is… hanging in there,” Isshin managed through a thick voice. “He’s… he’s so strong.”

“Here, here,” Takeo called from the front row, raising his fist up in agreement and behind him the squad repeated his words and actions.

Isshin smiled weakly. If only Toshiro could see this, maybe he wouldn’t think they hated him so much. At the end of the day Squad Ten was a family, and Toshiro was very much a part of that family.

The Tenth had done Isshin proud today. It was a dark day for the squad, with a friend gone and another fighting for his afterlife. They stood together in the assembly quad as a cold breeze blew through, some in tears, others keeping stoic expressions but they all felt the same pain and fear. They were one family and they were all affected.

Isshin had just been about to dismiss them, hoping to return to the hospital for when Toshiro inevitably woke up, when a panicked cry stole the attention of the Squad.

The captain’s eyes snapped over the crowd, freezing when he saw the small figure rushing forward. The squad parted quickly, shock and horror on their faces as Toshiro hurried forward. He looked lost and desperate, until his eyes fell on Isshin.

Isshin made to move for him but he had no sooner thought to before the boy flash stepped and appeared in Isshin’s arms, the captain catching him quickly.

“Toshiro?” Isshin spluttered. How had he gotten out of the hospital? How was he up and moving? He had almost died.

The boy was sobbing, his arms around Isshin’s neck and holding on tightly. Barefoot and his hospital yukata, he hung from Isshin and cried, calling him ‘Dad’ and ‘Daddy’ in slurred speech. His body was ice cold and his Spiritual Pressure wavered anxiously around him.

Unlike the last time he had accidentally called Isshin that in front of the squad, the Tenth remained silent. No one was laughing this time. Rangiku was beside Isshin and feeling Toshiro’s back.

“He’s bleeding again,” Rangiku informed Isshin, tone alarmed.

Isshin cursed and brought his hand up to Toshiro’s back and began healing, calling for someone – anyone – to contact the Fourth as soon as possible. Isshin didn’t know what had happened but the fact that Toshiro had slipped out and made his way back to the Tenth without anyone catching up with him was horrific.

This time Isshin’s healing appeared to be more effective, not necessarily in closing the wound but in stopping the new bleeding. The Squad Ten medics jumped up to help and began to combine their healing kido over Isshin’s. Eventually the bleeding stopped completely and when it had Isshin adjusted his hold on the boy. He held him as close as possible without pressing on the wound.

“What are you doing here, Kid?” Isshin choked.

If Toshiro had actually heard him, Isshin wasn’t too sure. The boy continued to cry, begging Isshin not to leave him, his grip surprisingly strong despite his weakened state. Toshiro was one of the bravest Souls Isshin had ever known, but this child in his arms right now was scared to… well Isshin didn’t like the metaphor but Toshiro was scared to death.

“Don’t leave me,” Toshiro gasped between tears, his weak lungs struggling without the oxygen mask and the added stress of the sobs. “Don’t leave me, Dad.”

“It’s the anaesthetic,” one of the Tenth’s medics murmured to Isshin. “He’s having an adverse reaction.”

Isshin nodded and sighed – he knew it wasn’t the real Toshiro in his arms right now.

“Don’t go,” Toshiro sobbed again, his arms around Isshin’s neck relaxing and tightening at various intervals, as though he was fighting his weakened state.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Isshin murmured to the boy softly. “You’re safe with me.”

He was almost reluctant to take Toshiro back to the Fourth now, if this was how scared being there made him, and how easily it was for him to escape.

“Sir, we need to calm him down,” the same medic said. “He’s overworking his lungs.”

Isshin agreed, stroking the crying child’s cheek in an effort to pacify him.

Ordering the medics and Rangiku to follow him, Isshin headed towards his quarters, bringing Toshiro with him. He murmured soothing words to the boy, hoping to calm him slightly. He managed a little, especially when Toshiro recognised Isshin’s familiar living space. Isshin lowered him on the couch to start, since he often read Toshiro to sleep here. The kid wouldn’t let Isshin go of course so the captain kneeled by the couch and leaned over Toshiro, hugging him as he slowly sank him back into a horizontal position. He stayed low and let Toshiro continue to hug his neck tightly, while the medics opened his yukata and checked the wound.

“Wow,” one of them commented. “Icy.”

A few moments later, Captain Unohana arrived at Isshin’s quarters and Rangiku and the medics updated her on the situation. She didn’t address her patient’s escape as she started tending to him, and Isshin didn’t yell at her about it. He would soon, but with Toshiro in his current state and refusing to let him go, the captain had to remain calm and quiet for him.

It took several minutes and the injection of a whole new anaesthetic drug to eventually knock Toshiro back out.

Isshin untangled himself from the boy when he felt Toshiro’s arms finally fall limp.

Carefully, he slipped out of Toshiro’s loosened hold and moved his arms back down by his side. As he did, he caught a glance at Toshiro’s wound and he realised it was the first he had seen it uncovered.

The wound was a slit – thin but long, and that was just the exit wound. Isshin hated to know if the entry point of the Necromancer’s shadow vines had left a bigger wound on the boy’s back. Still, the actual gash was covered over with ice, and the skin around the wound was a disturbing blue – Isshin wondered briefly if it was even safe for Hyorinmaru to cover Toshiro’s skin like that for so long.

“I’ve given him new anaesthetic,” Unohana informed Isshin lowly. “It’s stronger and as a result, will render him unconscious for hours at a time.”

Well, that was probably the best thing for the third seat right now. A sleeping Toshiro couldn’t feel pain, nor he could he run off.

“I’ll organise for his transportation back to the Fourth,” Unohana continued, standing and moving away.

“No,” Isshin called quietly after her. “He’s not going back there, Retsu.”

“Isshin,” Unohana sighed. “He needs to be in a hospital, we can keep an eye on him there and treat him better.”

“Can you?” Isshin challenged. Toshiro on his living room couch was proof that maybe the Fourth couldn’t handle his care.

With a start, Isshin realised this moment right now paralleled the time when he had first met the boy. Toshiro, who at the time had no name, had been unconscious and injured on Isshin’s couch back then too, though it had been at his family manor, not in his Captain’s quarters.

“This was an isolated incident,” Unohana defended, her tone warning but she couldn’t scare Isshin like she scared others.

Isshin had one fear, and he was living it – Toshiro was hurt and his life was in danger.

The two captains started to bicker then as the Squad Ten medics cleared the room quickly. Rangiku was the one to finally step in, and she made Isshin agree to take Toshiro back to the Fourth.

He was reluctant though, but to compromise, Unohana grudgingly agreed to set up a guest bed in Toshiro’s hospital room. Isshin and Rangiku would alternate staying with him so he wouldn’t be alone again.

“This is the best option for the patient on a physical and mental level,” Rangiku had said to convince them both. “Toshiro is a child; he needs the closest thing he has to a parent by his side.”

The ride on Unohana’s Zanpakuto was tense, but Isshin stayed quiet and calm, holding Toshiro in his lap as they were carried back to the Fourth.

As agreed, Unohana had her Squad Members set up a temporary guest bed. Isshin noticed they also locked the window with kido (it must have been Toshiro’s escape route).

Rangiku and Isshin sat together at Toshiro’s beside, watching the boy sleep. He looked even younger now, more innocent and vulnerable.

Rangiku had washed his face to get rid of the tear tracks, so now he looked almost peaceful in his drugged unconsciousness.

“I forget how young he is sometimes,” Rangiku sighed, voicing Isshin’s thoughts. “Now I understand why you never wanted him to join the Academy.”

Isshin nodded solemnly.

“It wasn’t the life I wanted for him,” Isshin murmured, “but we didn’t have a choice in the end.”

“Do you regret it?” Rangiku asked.

“Sometimes, like today,” Isshin grimaced, “but I’m glad to have gotten close to him this way. He’s my kid, Ran.”

A small smile played at Rangiku’s lips, “And he is my brother.”

“You kids are going to make my hair go grey,” Isshin muttered, and Rangiku chuckled. It felt good to hear at least one of them laugh again.

Unohana had promised to keep Toshiro as dosed up as possible on the new anaesthetic until he was well enough to be released, but still Isshin refused to leave Toshiro alone. He had made that mistake today, he wouldn’t make it again.

Until Toshiro was better, Isshin was going to spend evenings and overnight at the hospital, while Rangiku would spend mornings and afternoons with him. During the day, Isshin would return to the division and run his squad, catching up on paperwork. He would shower and return to the hospital to relieve Rangiku before dinner time.

The only exception would be during Kobayashi’s funeral which was to be in a few days. As much as Isshin was sure Toshiro would want to be there with his squad at that time, there was no way the kid was going to be better in time. Though Toshiro wouldn’t be in attendance, Isshin and Rangiku would be, and thus Isshin had recruited Kaien and Miyako to spend the afternoon with Toshiro that day.

They even talked about getting Mari up to visit him. If Toshiro was conscious at all during her visit, they were sure he would love to see her.

* * *

Three days later, Isshin had his first real conversation with Toshiro since before he was injured.

Finally the boy was getting back to his old self.

Kobayashi’s funeral and wake had been that day, and Isshin returned to the Fourth late. Toshiro had been asleep still, but Kaien, Miyako and Mari had sat with him, speaking to him like he was awake. Mari had been horrified to see him like that of course, but Isshin was glad she had stayed with him – she would have been able calm him if he had woken up to find neither Isshin nor Rangiku present.

Kaien and Miyako walked Mari back to Shiba Manor as Isshin sat in his mother’s vacated chair.

As if knowing he had returned, Toshiro stirred.

“I’m here, Son,” Isshin sighed, reaching over to hold Toshiro’s hand, squeezing it gently as his other hand reached up to stroke the boy’s soft white locks.

Toshiro had stirred many times between his doses, but he had never really been present. Isshin expected this time to be no different.

“Captain?” Toshiro’s brow furrowed, his voice groggy, and slowly those eyelids flickered open. The teal eyes were exhausted, but brighter than they had been in days.

“What happened to ‘Dad’, huh?” Isshin smirked at the boy. “I have been growing accustomed to that name, you know?”

Toshiro’s frown deepened, registering Isshin’s words for the first time – normally he was settled by just hearing his voice and would return to peaceful sleep.

“Did I call you that again?” the boy asked hesitantly, like he might have already known the answer.

“Several times,” Isshin informed him with a slight grin. This was the most conversation he had gotten out of his third seat since his hospitalisation.

Toshiro groaned, though seemingly from embarrassment more than pain.

“Sorry,” the boy sighed.

“Don’t be,” Isshin insisted. “I like it.”

A small blush appeared on the kid’s otherwise pale cheeks.

“Me too,” Toshiro admitted shyly.

Isshin grinned wider at the boy, feeling a weight lift off his chest. This was the Toshiro he knew.

“How long have I been out?” Toshiro asked then, glancing around his hospital room, becoming more aware.

“About four days now,” Isshin answered with a sigh.

The third seat nodded and looked down for a moment.

“I missed Kobayashi’s funeral, didn’t I?” he asked, voice dejected.

Isshin nodded when those sad eyes turned back to him.

“I’ll take you to his grave to pay your respects when you’re better,” Isshin offered, and that seemed to settle the boy a fraction.

As it turned out, Toshiro had little memory of the last few days. The last thing he could fully remember was fighting Gillians by Isshin’s side. The captain filled him in on the rest and the kid groaned again when Isshin informed him of the assembly mishap.

“I thought I dreamed that,” he sulked.

“You remember it?” Isshin asked in surprise.

“I remember waking up here,” Toshiro swallowed. “I didn’t know how I got here or how the battle had ended. When you weren’t with me, I thought you had died too. I remember thinking that I had to find you… I had to.”

Isshin sighed sadly and squeezed the boy’s hand. Now it all made sense – Toshiro’s desperation to hold onto Isshin, his begging for the captain to not leave him, the fear in his voice. It was caused by his memories of the battle and of losing a comrade, mixed with the adverse reaction to the original anaesthetic – Toshiro was scared he had lost Isshin too.

“I’d never leave you,” Isshin promised then, feeling that was all he could offer the boy now.

He cupped Toshiro’s cheek and the boy leaned into the touch, his eyes fluttering closed again. He seemed more at ease now, and after a moment he fell into a peaceful slumber, this time without the assistance of strong anaesthetic drugs.

Isshin smiled down at the boy, knowing he was back on the up now.

The fear receded from Isshin’s heart – he finally felt okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How rough  
> This chapter got away from me a little bit, I’m not gonna lie ahaha  
> This was a longer chapter so I will have something shorter on Wednesday, before I hit the next request after that~


	14. Study

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isshin and Rangiku help Toshiro study for his Spiritual Arts Academy entry exam

Rangiku watched over the top of her magazine, with a highly satisfied smirk, as her captain and the boy from Hitsugaya huddled over a book together.

Toshiro, as the boy had since been named by Isshin, was drinking in the captain’s every word as Isshin explained the concept of a Konso (Soul Burial) ritual. Isshin and Rangiku were spending their evenings and weekends at Shiba Manor tutoring the boy before his entry exam for the Spiritual Arts Academy a couple of weeks.

The exam would consist of three elements – a written literacy test, a written Soul Society general knowledge test, and a practical test of Spiritual Pressure. There was little anyone could do about that last one – either a Soul had Spiritual Pressure or they didn’t, but luckily Toshiro’s Spirit Energy was obvious in him.

As it turned out, they had nothing to worry about in the written tests either. Toshiro was naturally intelligent, taking in everything he read or was told and remembering it. He was literate, reading and writing above the level they had expected of a boy his age, and the things they taught him about the Soul Society and duties of a Soul Reaper always stuck with him.

Rangiku was pretty sure the kid now knew way more than he would be required to for the entry exam alone, but still Isshin continued to teach him every day.

And Rangiku was starting to suspect it was because Isshin might have – dare she say it – _liked_ the kid.

That was highly satisfying to Rangiku, since two weeks ago Isshin had been set on letting the kid reincarnate.

“Does it hurt the Plus?” Toshiro asked then, glancing up at Isshin in curiosity. “During the Konso, I mean.”

“No,” Isshin answered as he flipped a page of the book and pointed to a picture. “It can if you poke them too hard with the hilt, but that’s easily avoidable. Just a gentle press will work to bring them over.”

“When I died in the human world,” Toshiro frowned, “did a Soul Reaper Konso me?”

“Possibly,” Isshin lifted his head to regard the boy, “but many Pluses pass over on their own too.”

Toshiro hummed in acceptance and turned back to the book just as Mari entered the dining room, which had become the place of their many study hours. She carried a tray of food and placed it gently on the table between them.

“Some mini sushi rolls for busy bees,” she smiled, pinching Toshiro’s cheek gently, before retreating back to the kitchen.

Isshin took some sushi, while Toshiro hesitated as he always did, but accepted one when Isshin pushed the plate under his face.

“Eat up, Busy Bee,” Isshin told the boy. “We can’t have you passing out from hunger in the middle of your exams.”

Smiling weakly, Toshiro took a small sushi roll and hate it timidly.

Isshin placed the plate back down as Rangiku reached for one too, but the captain smacked her hand away.

“Hey!” Rangiku squawked in indignation.

“Are you are a busy bee, Matsumoto?” Isshin raised an eyebrow at her and nodded to her magazine. “Because I don’t remember you helping to tutor Toshiro?”

“Because he knows everything already!” Rangiku pointed out. “It’s not my fault he’s so smart.”

Toshiro’s face was disapproving. Every day that kid was growing more and more comfortable with them, and each day more of his personality game out.

He was cheeky and sarcastic, but hid it behind a façade of ice. His delivery of remarks was deadpan and toneless, but it was all in jest. His expression usually matched, such as now.

“And yet you sit here with a magazine,” Isshin added, “while a stack of your unfinished paperwork, which is easily as tall as me, sits in our office?”

“Watanabe is off,” Rangiku complained.

Watanabe was the current third seat and he was about a million years old, but he was a good desk rider, though in recent years he had started slowing up considerably. Isshin suspected the elderly man would retire within the year, but Rangiku was absolutely dreading it. The man did almost all her paperwork for her; She’d had a taste this week of what it was like to live without him and Rangiku didn’t like it one bit. She hated paperwork!

“Well,” Isshin huffed. “No sushi for you, Lazybones.”

Rangiku’s expression was scandalised, and that earned a chuckle from Toshiro.

“Don’t listen to Mr. Crankypants over there, Toshiro,” Rangiku told the boy. “See those lines on his face? That’s from always frowning.”

Toshiro bit his lip, obviously stopping a grin, when he turned to Isshin just in time to see the captain’s frown drop off his face, clearly in an effort to try to hide those creases in his skin.

“Toshiro,” the captain’s tone became warning. “If you work up to a captain’s role one day, do yourself a favour and pick a lieutenant that doesn’t _make_ you frown so much.”

Rangiku scoffed and rolled her eyes when Toshiro raised an eyebrow at her.

“What if I work up to a lieutenant’s role first?” Toshiro asked, though his tone was certainly more suggestive than curious.

Isshin must have picked up whatever Toshiro was insinuating as the captain smirked widely and winked back at the boy. Rangiku glanced between them in confusion.

“Yes, you’re right,” Isshin drawled, turning back to look at Rangiku with amusement. “Then _I_ could be the one with a lieutenant that doesn’t make me frown so much.”

The message clicked loud and clear with Rangiku then and her jaw dropped in offence. Isshin was going to trade her up for Toshiro!

“Wow,” she gasped, theatrically putting on a show of being insulted. “That’s cold.”

That made Toshiro laugh more and Isshin’s grin was all too satisfied.

“You two are ganging up on me,” Rangiku wailed dramatically, and brought her arm up to her forehead, throwing her head back in utter despair. “I can’t believe it!”

She could believe it, actually. Isshin was becoming infatuated with the boy, whether he could admit that or not, so it made sense he would tease Rangiku to make Toshiro laugh. Luckily the lieutenant loved bantering with her captain like that, and if Toshiro could play along with them like that too, well then he was going to fit in well at the Tenth.

Not that anyone had ever said that Toshiro would join them at the Tenth after he (inevitably) graduated from the Academy, but Rangiku was positive Isshin would try to recruit him.

Rangiku was okay with that. The needed a bit of ice in their fiery division.

The rest of their study afternoon went by quickly, as Isshin moved on to teaching Toshiro about the Chain of Fate.

The teasing came back around several times of course, and Isshin had a field day explaining to Toshiro all about Rangiku’s boyfriend, Gin.

“He’s a snake,” Isshin muttered to Toshiro.

“He’s not a snake,” Rangiku pouted. “He’s lovely when you get to know him. He’s just sly, like a fox. He’s hot like a silver fox in the making too.”

“Hot like a silver fox?” Toshiro repeated, confused. “Is that a type of Zanpakuto?”

Isshin snorted, and Rangiku laughed heartily. Toshiro pouted, hating being out of the loop.

“You’ll understand when you’re older,” Rangiku winked at him.

“But trust me, you won’t want to know,” Isshin muttered with an eye roll.

Toshiro sighed, seemingly not entirely satisfied but not wishing to follow up with more questions.

Dinner came and went, as Mari all but forced some udon down Toshiro’s throat, and soon they relocated their little study group to the living room. Well, no one was studying anymore; Rangiku flipped through another magazine, while Isshin worked on some of his own paperwork and Toshiro read his book quietly.

It was late when Rangiku glanced over the top of her magazine again to find Toshiro’s eyes drooping, his book open his lap, as he drifted closer and closer to sleep. The lieutenant watched with great amusement and satisfaction as the boy finally nodded off, falling slightly against Isshin’s shoulder as he did so.

Isshin glanced down in surprise, doing a double take when he saw the boy, and Rangiku wasn’t at all surprised to see a soft smile on her captain’s face.

“Are you ready to admit you like the kid yet?” Rangiku whispered teasingly across the room.

Isshin’s eyes snapped to her, a slight flush in his cheek at being caught smiling so fondly at the boy. He shot her a glare as Rangiku only grinned wider at that, before he rolled his eyes and glanced back down at the boy asleep against him.

Undoubtedly, the room would grow cold soon when the icy Zanpakuto spirit inside the boy reached out to him in a dream, but at least Isshin and Rangiku were there to warm the house up.

“He’s a good kid,” Isshin sighed eventually.

Rangiku smirked. Yep, her captain was being totally smitten with the child he had not so long ago been totally indifferent too.

Toshiro was a good kid, and he was going to be the perfect little addition to the Ten family one day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay next up, we have a request fic for FFN guest reviewer, Jelly!
> 
> It will go up this Sunday (which is a special day ;D)


	15. Sick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toshiro, Rangiku and Isshin all get sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Request for FFN guest reviewer, Jelly!   
> Request: Sick Toshiro

Toshiro no longer had to guess what Hell might be like – _he was living it._

The young third seat stared down blearily at the paperwork in front of him. The words swam around, refusing to stay still. His nose was blocked up, his throat stinging with the pain of trying to swallow a knife, and his whole body ached.

He was sick, but like Hell he was going to let Isshin and his squad down today.

As it was, almost half of the squad was off sick with a severe seasonal flu that was going around the Seireitei. Toshiro knew the moment he had woken up, when he could barely breathe let alone think, that he had caught it too.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t afford to take time off work.

Rangiku was off with the illness too, having been bed ridden for two days now, and Isshin had a big captain’s meeting today. They were depending on Toshiro to keep things running around here and the third seat was trying. He was really trying.

He just felt so ill.

Even Takeo and Mei had tried to tell him to go back to bed but Toshiro brushed them off. If they all just got the paperwork done, they could go to bed then knowing they hadn’t let anyone down.

But suddenly the paperwork made no sense, even when Toshiro could make out the dancing characters; he couldn’t focus for more than a few seconds at a time. Already he had been up to open and close the windows a number of times, unable to decide if he was hot or cold. Inside him, Hyorinmaru rumbled with complaints, urging the third seat to go to bed.

Toshiro couldn’t do that, not until Isshin got back from the meeting, not until the paperwork was complete.

His captain was going to be mad at him for pushing himself this way, but what choice did Toshiro have? Soul Reaping was a full time job – a Squad couldn’t pick and choose when to work, Souls were at risk all hours of the day, whether their protectors were sick or not.

And so Toshiro continued to work, or as close as he could to it.

After a while, he had to take a break, and rested his head on the table.

_Just for a second._

Somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice called out to him. Something might have even shaken his shoulder but Toshiro didn’t move. He wasn’t sure he could anymore, if he was being honest.

He just needed another second.

_Just a second…_

“-id?”

Toshiro frowned as another distant voice called out to him, and a hand definitely shook his shoulder this time. He felt so lethargic, and his muscles ached terribly, like he had gone five rounds with a powerful Hollow.

“Come on, Kid,” Isshin’s voice registered in Toshiro’s mind as the boy cracked his eye open to see the blurry black and white figure of his captain. “You’re sick, let’s get you to bed.”

Bed sounded good, but Toshiro shook his head, pushing himself up on shaky arms.

“Paperwork,” he murmured, shaking off Isshin’s hand on his shoulder.

“You’ve got a fever, Toshiro,” Isshin told him sternly. “I’m not going to let you work like this.”

Toshiro ignored him, reaching for the next report on his pile and blinking down at it. The words continued to swim, in fact the whole paper moved, the world spinning relentlessly.

He tried to sigh, but a coughing fit tore through his body. Somewhere, Isshin cursed and Toshiro felt a hand on his back as his chair was pulled out from under the desk. He continued to cough, painful in his throat and his chest, his vision spinning and black spots appearing.

Toshiro felt so sick, and breathing was hard. He didn’t like feeling like this.

Maybe he did have to go to bed.

Reaching for Isshin, Toshiro tried to lift himself out of his chair, only to collapse straight to the floor. He felt Isshin’s hands grasp him as his vision went all black for a moment, and the next thing he knew, he was on the floor, being held against Isshin’s chest.

He groaned, opening his eyes to see the world still spinning.

“Dizzy,” Toshiro complained, closing his eyes and turning into Isshin’s body. The captain was warm as always but today it felt nice, especially as a shiver rolled down his spine.

“Yep,” Isshin sighed. “That’s the vertigo kicking in.”

Toshiro frowned into the man’s haori, remembering him saying the word to another officer the other day, shortly after Rangiku had fainted coming back from her SWA meeting.

That had been scary to witness.

Isshin shifted Toshiro so he was sitting up more.

“Drink some water,” the captain ordered him, “then it’s straight to bed for you.”

Toshiro sighed as he opened his eyes again to see a glass of water being held out to him. Weakly he took it in both hands and brought it to his lips, with the assistance of Isshin.

They sat like that for several minutes as Isshin rubbed Toshiro’s back and explained that he had been at the captains’ meeting, which was much shorter than expected considering most of the captains – including the Head Captain – had called in sick.

“I was just leaving when Takeo came in,” Isshin continued. “He said you were really ill and he was worried when he found you asleep at the desk with a fever.”

“I’m sorry,” Toshiro pouted, giving back the empty glass and leaning into Isshin’s warm chest again.

“What for?” Isshin asked, squeezing him a little.

“I’ve let you down,” Toshiro murmured, turning his face into Isshin’s haori, feeling emotions rise in him. He couldn’t be both sick and crying today.

“You could never,” Isshin assured him. “I’m supposed to look after you, not the other way around.”

Toshiro frowned at that.

“Part of a squad member’s job is to keep their captain safe,” Toshiro peeked an eye out to find Isshin smiling softly down at him, no longer spinning. “That’s the first lesson they teach you.”

“Well, not every squad member is the captain’s kid,” Isshin smirked back.

Toshiro made a small hum at that. He knew it wasn’t technically true, that he wasn’t really Isshin’s kid, but lately, that’s how the captain had been referring to him, and the third seat couldn’t deny that he secretly loved it. After all, he was the one to accidentally call Isshin ‘Dad’ in the past.

_Accidentally._

“Now let’s get you to bed,” Isshin sighed, moving to stand and pulling Toshiro up with him. “I have to go check on Rangiku too.”

“I don’t want to go to bed,” Toshiro frowned, clutching Isshin’s haori for stability as he stood. “It’s hot in the dorms, and not in a nice way.”

Isshin nodded as he turned them towards the office door and led Toshiro slowly towards it. Thankfully Toshiro wasn’t so dizzy after sitting and drinking his water, but he didn’t think it would last too long.

“I wasn’t going to put you back in your bunk,” Isshin told him softly. “We’re going to go see your big sis.”

They exited the office, and Takeo and Mei glanced up from their desks in the administration building. Toshiro didn’t glance their way but he could feel the burning looks of worry and sympathy they were shooting him.

Isshin led Toshiro through the division, hand on his shoulder and squeezing reassuringly. It was quiet in the barracks today, with so many members off sick.

Toshiro sighed. He felt like he had let his captain down today, despite what Isshin had said.

* * *

They arrived at Rangiku’s Lieutenant Quarters and Isshin guided his sick third seat in and to the bedroom, knocking softly first before entering.

The room was dark but light still crept in through the cracks in the curtains.

On the bed, under a heap of blankets, messy strawberry blonde locks poked out, the lieutenant lifting her head when they entered, frown etched on her face.

“I’ve brought you a friend,” Isshin told her, and gently pushed Toshiro towards her.

Rangiku’s eyes softened as she realised Toshiro was sick too, and she opened up her blanket cocoon for him. Toshiro hurried over, climbing up onto the bed and slipping into the blankets immediately.

It told Isshin a lot about how sick his third seat was feeling that Toshiro ran straight to Rangiku’s arms, without even wanting to change into something more comfortable.

The captain sighed, watching the boy nestle down with his lieutenant. They were both so sick, and there was very little Isshin could do.

Half the Seireitei was down with the flu and the advice of the Fourth had been simple – bed rest and plenty of fluids.

Isshin felt guilty, that maybe he shouldn’t have gone to that meeting this morning, not with Rangiku down and Toshiro not looking his best that morning. The kid assured Isshin he was fine, just a tickle in his throat and a bit of a blocked nose, but clearly he had been worse than that, and he had deteriorated further in the few hours Isshin had been gone.

When Takeo had found him leaving the Squad One meeting hall, Isshin had known it was going to be about Toshiro. Any other squad member and Takeo would have dealt with it on his own, but the whole squad knew how protective Isshin was over Toshiro, not to mention Toshiro would have totally overruled Takeo if the fourth seat had tried to send him to bed.

“Third Seat Hitsugaya is unwell, Sir,” the fourth seat had greeted Isshin with. “He’s asleep at his desk and has a high fever. I couldn’t wake him.”

It was the last sentence that freaked Isshin out the most, and the captain had hurried back to the office, finding his third seat just as Takeo had said. He woke for Isshin, of course, but he was extremely groggy and out of it. That much had been clear the moment he tried to stand and collapsed.

The captain collected Rangiku’s water glass from her side of the bed and took it to the kitchen, filling it back up and filling a second glass for Toshiro. He grabbed the thermometer he had left on the bench and the sanitising wipes, and returned to the bedroom.

With some coercing, Isshin managed to convince Toshiro to let him take his temperature, but Isshin almost wished he hadn’t. Pulling back the thermometer, Isshin winced at it.

“Too high,” he murmured, reaching forward to brush Toshiro’s hair out of his face. The boy leaned into the touch.

“I feel cold though,” Toshiro murmured, and shivered as if to prove his point.

Isshin smiled weakly down at him, rubbing the goosebumps on his arm gently.

“That’s the chills,” Isshin murmured, “but your body temperature is high, and we don’t want you to overheat.”

He pulled back the thicker blanket from Toshiro’s body, leaving him under a much thinner one. The boy whined a little, but Isshin’s hand in his hair soothed him quickly.

It was hard watching his kid sick without being able to help much.

Rangiku’s temperature was high too, but thankfully hers had improved a fraction since Isshin had checked her that morning. Not to mention, she was a fire-type too so at least her body could stand the fever a little better.

“You’re going to get sick too if you keep coming to see us,” Rangiku murmured as Isshin ducked into the bathroom and returned with two wet cloths, placing them on his sick kids’ foreheads.

“Well I’d rather that than leave you both here on your own,” Isshin murmured, dabbing the lieutenant’s forehead gently, noticing she was starting to sweat. “Besides, by the time I start showing symptoms, you will be better and be able to look after me.”

“You’d like that, you old perv,” Rangiku battered his arm tiredly, and Isshin chuckled.

The woman certainly hadn’t lost her sense of humour, so that was one thing.

Isshin tucked them in, told them to drink their water, and left them both to sleep it off.

He returned to the office, and tidied up Toshiro’s paperwork. As much as Isshin would rather just assign another officer to do it for him, he knew that Toshiro was very particular about his paperwork and refused to let others touch it unless absolutely necessary. Flicking through it briefly told Isshin there was nothing urgent in there, so it could wait for the third seat to return when he was well again.

So the captain busied himself, trying to distract himself from the temptation to return to his sick kids. He would later on of course, but for now they just needed to sleep and they couldn’t do that if Isshin was fluttering around them all day. They had each other now, they were okay.

Isshin checked on his other sick officers, some of them worse than when he last saw them, others starting to look better. Isshin found the barracks cleaners and tasked them to a top to bottom clean of the barracks, disinfecting everything. He assigned some unseated officers to help the cleaners, and ordered any soldier displaying any symptoms to go straight to bed.

It was time they fought back against this flu.

By the time Isshin was done running around the division, it was close to dinner time. He made his way back to Rangiku’s quarters and crept in quietly. Slipping into her bedroom, he found both patients sleeping soundly.

Toshiro had obviously got passed his ‘chills’ faze, the boy seemingly had kicked off all blankets and rolled away from Rangiku to the edge of the bed. The lieutenant, on the other hand, was still wrapped in her cocoon of thick blankets.

Isshin noticed that both of their glasses of water were close to empty, and was glad they had been drinking up like he told them too. He filled up their waters again, and checked their temperatures once more.

Rangiku’s was better again, while Toshiro’s was about the same. Though it was still far too high in Isshin’s opinion, he did feel better that at least Toshiro had plateaued out now, and his temperature was no longer climbing.

He didn’t wake them, allowing them to continue to sleep peacefully, though he did bring the thin sheet back over Toshiro’s shoulders so that he wouldn’t wake up cold later.

Isshin hung around this time, moving to the kitchen to quietly cook some dinner if they felt like it later. He made a simple broth soup, knowing they probably wouldn’t want anything heavy on their stomachs if they did choose to eat, and he left it to stay warm on the stove while he took up residency on the couch with a book.

He didn’t want to be far away if they needed him.

It was an hour later when Rangiku emerged with a thick robe on.

“Hungry,” she murmured when Isshin glanced up at her.

The captain nodded and stood, moving to the kitchen to get her a bowl of soup. When he returned, she was sitting on the opposite side of the couch, curling up with another blanket.

It surprised Isshin that she hadn’t overheated herself like that, but he supposed she found a lot of comfort in it. He handed her the soup and she thanked him, her voice raspy from coughing.

Her face was paler than he had ever seen it, her hair a mess, her shoulders hunched and her nose red.

She looked awful, and that was saying something because Rangiku Matsumoto never looked anything other than beautiful. It said a lot about their relationship that she allowed herself to be seen by her captain in this way.

Slowly, Rangiku sipped on her soup, asking the odd catch up question about the division.

“I’m hoping we’re on the tail-end of it now,” Isshin sighed, running his hand through his short black hair. “I think we will start having officers return to work tomorrow.”

Rangiku nodded.

“I think I could come back tomorrow, if you need,” Rangiku offered. “Just don’t ask me to do any paperwork.”

Isshin snorted.

“I wouldn’t dare,” he smirked. “But you’re not coming back tomorrow. You need another day at least.”

“Are you sure?” Rangiku asked him seriously.

It was very rare that Rangiku was ever that dedicated to her job, but she must have been worried they were short staffed, just as Toshiro had been.

Isshin sighed and nodded.

“We’ll be fine,” he told her. “I also don’t want Toshiro seeing us push ourselves through when we’re sick. He already thinks it’s okay to do that to himself and I don’t want us to set that example for him.”

Rangiku chuckled weakly, her smile knowing.

“That kid,” she muttered, shaking her head disapprovingly.

Isshin rolled his eyes and nodded, sinking back against the couch.

Toshiro eventually woke, and managed to eat a small amount of soup too, though he had far more interest in cuddling into Isshin’s side. He pushed a book into Isshin’s hands, the message loud and clear despite him not actually asking.

_Read to me._

“Okay, but I want to you to shower and change out of your uniform first,” Isshin told him strictly.

The boy pouted of course, but dragged himself towards Rangiku’s shower. Isshin ducked back to the officer dormitories to find the kid a sleeping yukata, and returned just as the boy emerged from the shower, dripping wet and wrapped up in an oversized towel.

Once changed, Isshin helped Toshiro back in Rangiku’s bed, and read him the story he had been after. Toshiro was back asleep in mere minutes, looking much less miserable than earlier that day.

The captain stroked back the boy’s hair and cupped his cheek briefly, allowing himself a moment to be relieved that his kid was okay. Sick and exhausted, but okay.

Exiting the room, Isshin ignored the amused smirk on Rangiku’s face as she sipped some tea.

“When did you become such a dad?” the lieutenant smirked behind her mug.

Isshin rolled his eyes and sat back on the couch.

“I believe I have you to blame for that,” he shot her a pointed look.

Rangiku was the one who brought him Toshiro in the first place.

* * *

Within just a few days of Rangiku’s recovery from what was surely the worst flu she had ever had in her entire afterlife, her captain finally succumbed to the illness.

Entering the office after leading drills, Rangiku sighed in the doorway, finding Isshin asleep on the couch, his head on a pillow in Toshiro’s lap as the boy read softly to him.

It was only a few nights ago that Isshin had been the one reading to the sick third seat.

Fortunately Toshiro had recovered not long after Rangiku, but now their carer was the one who was ill.

It was time to return the favour.

“How long has he been like that?” Rangiku asked Toshiro, the third seat glancing up at her over his book.

“A couple of hours,” Toshiro winced. “He said he just wants to sleep it off.”

Rangiku nodded, remembering Isshin’s words from earlier. He must have been in the early stages of his symptoms then, because there was no way the captain would work through it with Toshiro’s impressionable eyes on him.

Heading into the kitchen, Rangiku wet a cloth and returned to her two boys, sitting on the coffee table as she pressed the cloth to Isshin’s forehead. He had a fever, of course he did.

“He’s really sick,” Toshiro told her, worry evident in his teal eyes.

“I know,” Rangiku smiled weakly at the boy, “but so were we. Captain will be fine in a few days.”

“I guess,” Toshiro murmured sadly, before he swallowed and picked his book back up and continued to read aloud.

Isshin was dead to the world, but Rangiku knew he would have adored seeing Toshiro trying to comfort him the same way that Isshin did to the boy.

Rangiku took her captain’s temperature, and decided not to tell Toshiro just how high it was.

“Do you want to swap?” Rangiku asked the boy, noticing him shifting uncomfortably on his crossed legs.

“No it’s okay,” Toshiro shook his head quickly, but Rangiku gestured him up anyway.

They swapped positions as Rangiku gently lifted Isshin’s head so Toshiro could slip out and lowered it back into her lap when she replaced him.

The lieutenant stroked her captain’s hair gently as the man frowned and muttered in his sleep.

Toshiro sunk to the floor, resting his head against Isshin’s shoulder. He still looked worried, and Rangiku realised she might just have more than one to look after today. She handed Toshiro back his book and asked him to keep reading, telling him that Isshin would like that. It was more of a distraction for the boy of course, but if it helped Isshin too, than it was an added benefit.

Rangiku allowed herself a small smile as Toshiro started to read, and Isshin sighed contently in his sleep. The lieutenant listened to the boy’s gentle voice and stroked Isshin’s hair, occasionally dabbing his face with the wet cloth.

When Isshin woke up, they would get him back to his own bed, and Rangiku would even cook him a soup – one of those bland ones he liked so much, not one of her own marvellous original recipes.

As awful as it was for them to get sick, sometimes they needed it to remind them all to step back for a moment and recharge. It was also nice to feel looked after, and to have someone to look after in return.

_It was just nice to have a family,_ Rangiku thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALSO it’s my birthday today! Bit of a lonely lockdown one but that’s okay because I have Toshiro, Isshin and Rangiku for company :) I wanted to get this chapter up today but I will be putting up a cheeky birthday present chapter for myself on Wednesday xD
> 
> Also for any HitsuMatsu shippers around town, my lovely bestie LethanWolf has written an adorable oneshot for my gift, head to her page to check it out, or find it in the 'gifts' section of my page. It's called 'Neko' and is so precious <3


	16. Crush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of the greatest, most amusing days in Isshin’s captaincy career was the day he realised his little third seat had a crush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the birthday wishes, I had a lovely day~  
> This is a cheeky little present to myself (hbd 2 me), so it’s less canon-based and more ‘off road into Geishaaa’s wildly fluffy imagination’ xD

One of the greatest, most amusing days in Isshin’s captaincy career was the day he realised his little third seat had a crush.

Toshiro’s first crush, probably.

Oh how Isshin remembered his own first crush. He had been little too, possibly younger than Toshiro in physical age equivalent. Isshin had adored the young princess Yoruichi Shihoin – they had once been neighbours. At the height of his crush, Isshin had been driven to embarrassing blushes and stumbling on his words, while the purple haired girl had just giggled at him.

Isshin’s father had teased Isshin relentlessly about it of course, while Mari had thought it was sweet, especially when a young Isshin had turned up at the dinner table one evening and claimed Yoruichi was his ‘girlfriend’. Thankfully, Isshin siblings had been too young to know what was going on – in fact, Ganju hadn’t even been born yet – otherwise Isshin surely would have been laughed at.

Of course it was all perfectly innocent – Isshin and Yoruichi had been children, they didn’t have the hormones for it to be anything but puppy love. They had held hands a couple of times, and Isshin thought he remembered once getting a kiss on the cheek from the Shihoin princess.

It was all very sweet.

Especially now that Isshin was watching his kid’s first crush, and now he understood his parents’ reactions to his first one.

It was just too adorable.

Isshin became aware of Toshiro’s little crush during a visit to the Thirteenth Division. The captain had been invited to have afternoon tea with Squad Thirteen’s Captain Ukitake as Jushiro was a long-time friend of his, and they would be joined by the Thirteenth’s lieutenant and third seat, or as Isshin usually referred to them as, his brother Kaien and his sister-in-law Miyako. Isshin had brought Toshiro along at Kaien’s suggestion, but mostly to get him out of the stuffy old office for a few hours, and because he knew Ukitake adored the kid.

Kaien greeted them at the Captain’s Office door, giving Isshin a one-armed hug and ruffling Toshiro’s hair.

“No Rangiku today?” Kaien asked.

“She’s holidaying in the Living World this week,” Isshin sighed. “Probably racking up quite a bill on the Squad Ten credit card.”

Kaien snorted at that, leading them to where Ukitake was sitting by the fire place. He was pale but in good spirits as Miyako fussed around him, making sure his legs were covered in a blanket.

“Hey Juu,” Isshin smiled at the older man, and reached out to shake his hand.

“Sorry Isshin,” the long-haired captain sighed. “I’d stand to greet you properly, but I am a little weak today.”

“It’s not a problem,” Isshin waved him off, sitting down in a chair opposite him. “I’m glad to see you out of bed.”

“Yes,” Ukitake sipped on his tea carefully, “it’s been a hard couple of cold winter days, but I am feeling better.”

Isshin smiled weakly as Ukitake’s attention fell to Toshiro and asked him for a hug. The boy complied, still standing shorter than the sitting man’s height. Ukitake had been sick for so many years now, the entire time Isshin had been alive in fact, and unfortunately the illness hadn’t been cured. It made Isshin sad to think that something as horrible as that to could happen to a man as wonderful as Jushiro Ukitake. There was not a nicer, gentler captain in Gotei Thirteen. There probably wasn’t even a Soul Reaper in the whole Seireitei who was a lovely as him.

Though perhaps Toshiro could give him a run for his money, Isshin thought silently, watching as the boy that normally didn’t show affection to strangers hugged the sickly captain back gently and without complaint.

Afterwards, Toshiro came to sit next to Isshin as Kaien returned with a fresh tea pot, and behind him a young girl, who couldn’t have been more than eleven or twelve by human comparison with pitch black hair and violet eyes, followed with a plate of biscuits. Miyako dragged some more chairs around the coffee table to accommodate all of them.

“I’ve invited young Rukia to join us,” Kaien announced with a grin. “She deserves a break from all that hard work.”

The girl blushed a little as she placed the biscuits down on the coffee table. Isshin recognised her then, from his brother’s stories. She was the adopted Kuchiki, rather famous in the noble gossip circles since Byakuya had convinced his family to adopt her in as his young sister. She was apparently the biological sister of Byakuya’s late wife, Hisana, but had been lost in the Rukongai for years until the Kuchikis found her. Isshin remembered Kaien speaking about Rukia; it seemed he had taken her under his wing in recent years.

“Rukia, it is so lovely to meet you,” Isshin greeted her with a smile. “My brother has spoken such wonderful things about you.”

“Thank you, Captain Shiba,” Rukia bowed low, with manners that must have been drilled into her by her adopted family.

“Rukia is one of our hardest working soldiers,” Miyako commented then as she took up the final seat, and began pouring tea for everyone.

Ukitake hummed in agreement, a soft smile on his face for a moment before he shot Rukia a slightly pointed look.

“Sometimes I think Rukia works too hard,” Ukitake sighed. “It’s not good for you, Rukia dear.”

Rukia’s face was bright red from the attention and praise and she ducked her head shyly, “I just want to be a good officer for you, Captain.”

Isshin hummed in amusement, “Sounds like someone I know.”

He turned to shoot Toshiro a mock glare of his own, but found the boy staring at Rukia with a dropped jaw and wide eyes, like he hadn’t heard a word Isshin had just said.

_That was weird?_

“Of course,” Ukitake chuckled, not noticing. “Rukia and Shiro-chan are very similar in that respect now that I think about it.”

Isshin was still staring at Toshiro, observing with interest as a deep blush came over his cheeks at the nickname. Well, Isshin knew Toshiro hated that nickname, especially since it had been used as a teasing insult in most past cases, but he always tolerated Ukitake calling him that, as they were both ‘Shiro-chan’, with their similar names and startling white hair. Now though, the boy seemed highly embarrassed by it.

“Not to mention the similar ice-type Zanpakutos,” Kaien added, taking the tea cup his wife handed to him.

Isshin recalled then his brother saying that Rukia had an ice and snow-type Zanpakuto too. He remembered because the Shiba brothers had been comparing notes about being opposite elementals, given Isshin was a fire wielder while Kaien’s Zanpakuto was water-based. Somehow Toshiro’s name was dragged in, definitely by Isshin, as the kid has the ice and snow element, and then Kaien had mentioned Rukia being similar.

“You’re an ice type too?” Toshiro asked then, his words seemingly blurted out.

The eyes in the room turned to Rukia for her answer but Isshin continued staring at Toshiro who was now blushing even more, like he had been embarrassed by his own question.

_How odd._

“Yes,” Rukia answered shyly, still blushing. “Her name is Sode no Shirayuki.”

“Sleeved White Snow,” Toshiro murmured the translation, his bright teal eyes locked on Rukia. “She’s supposed to be the most beautiful Zanpakuto in history.”

“Is she?” Isshin asked then, his question aimed at Toshiro whose cheeks were still flushed.

Was it just Isshin, or was everyone else noticing this too?

“Sode no Shirayuki was in the book you got me for my birthday,” Toshiro explained, turning to Isshin then, the colour in his cheeks receding a little. “She’s a snow princess.”

Isshin made an acknowledging hum, remembering the thick book he had given Toshiro for his birthday just past – it had been a complete history of every known Zanpakuto in history. Isshin had hoped Toshiro would read it slowly over the year, but of course the boy had demolished it in just a month. He had particularly liked reading about the other ice types, and the Zanpakutos of the Soul Reapers he was familiar with, such as Engetsu and Haineko.

“A snow princess?” Isshin repeated with interest, turning back to young Rukia. “That sounds similar to Toshiro’s Hyor-.”

“Hyorinmaru,” Rukia breathed, her face bright red, her big violet eyes locked on Toshiro as she spoke. “Ice Ring. He’s the most powerful Zanpakuto in our element, the legendary ice prince.”

Those comments sent Toshiro as whole new shade of red.

“Hm,” Kaien was smirking across the table, eyes shifting between the two kids. “An ice prince and a snow princess – that’s quite a royal pair we have sitting with us today.”

_A royal pair._

Now Isshin got it.

The Squad Ten captain glanced between the two ice wielders at the table, with their bright pink cheeks and ducked heads, both sneaking shy glances without letting the other see.

Now that was a crush right there, Isshin was sure of it.

It seemed Kaien was the first to clock it, but now that Isshin had so did Miyako and Ukitake, and the grins being shared amongst the adults of the room were cheeky and amused.

Rangiku was going to love hearing about this when she returned from her holiday. Byakuya Kuchiki, on the other hand, was probably better off being kept in the dark.

After all, it was just an innocent case of puppy love. They were only children.

After that, with their newfound knowledge in mind, Isshin and Kaien made the rest of the afternoon as painfully awkward as possible for the two crushing kids – but hey, what was family for?

Oh how they had embarrassed them.

Isshin had told stories that Toshiro had been mortified to hear repeated to their company. In particular, about his birthday last month and their squad Christmas party, the two dates coinciding that year, in which a drunken Rangiku had hidden all of Toshiro’s clothes and placed an elf costume on his bunk.

For context, Isshin had dressed as Santa at the squad Christmas party every year since they had started adopting the Western tradition in the Soul Society. At the same time, Rangiku had started dressing as ‘Santa’s Hot Daughter’ in what was an essentially a red mini dress with white faux-fur lining. Ever since Toshiro had joined the squad, Rangiku had been begging him to dress up as an elf at Christmas because he was so little and adorable, but the third seat had always, rather aggressively, denied her. This year, he hadn’t had a choice. Well Toshiro emerged from the dormitories dressed as an extremely grumpy little elf and the squad had loved it, though the third seat’s face had been so red it had rivalled Isshin’s Santa suit.

And, funnily enough, it was the colour of the boy’s face now that the story was being repeated in front of his new crush.

As it turned out, Rukia’s birthday was also recent – just last week in fact (another winter baby!), and Kaien had a hilarious story of the girl blushing bright red when her whole squad had sung her happy birthday at their assembly. Apparently Rukia had been giving of such embarrassed and nervous Spiritual Pressure, they hadn’t been able to get the candles on her cake to light.

“I know it’s not always the best place for children,” Ukitake smiled softly between the now thoroughly humiliated ice-kids, “but it is nice having some young folks in our Squads, isn’t?”

Isshin nodded and grinned down at Toshiro, nudging the boy gently.

“I certainly love having this adorable cutie at the Tenth with me,” he smirked as Toshiro choked, and Isshin may have seen the slightest of entertained smirks on Rukia’s face.

The moment was interrupted harshly however, when Ukitake suddenly started coughing, and it quickly turned into a short fit as Kaien and Miyako leapt up to help.

“I’m fine,” Ukitake managed between coughs, shaking his head, his voice croaky.

“Time for your medicine, I think,” Kaien sighed. “It’s in your quarters, right?”

Ukitake usually lived at his family manor in the Rukongai, but when the weather grew cold like this and he wanted to work through it, he stayed in his quarters inside the division barracks, as must have been the case currently.

Ukitake nodded as Rukia jumped to her feet.

“I will get it, Captain,” she offered, her violet eyes wide and determined. “I remember where it is in the kitchen.”

Ukitake nodded then, allowing her to go. “Top drawer on the left.”

“Go with her,” Isshin pushed Toshiro out of his chair, and the third seat nodded, seemingly thinking it was a good idea too.

_I wonder why._

The two kids left together, and the adults smirked as Toshiro and Rukia almost bumped into each other in the doorway, before Toshiro – a little gentleman in the making – stepped back and gestured Rukia to go first with a timid murmur of ‘ladies first’.

Isshin liked to think Toshiro had learned that from him.

“They’re so sweet, aren’t they?” Ukitake grinned then, accepting the glass of water Miyako was handing to him.

“I think my boy has a bit of a crush on her,” Isshin laughed then.

“Well I certainly think it’s reciprocated,” Ukitake murmured between sips of water, a soft smile on his face.

“I was hoping to introduce them,” Kaien grinned, returning to his chair. “I think they could be good little friends, and could learn a lot from training together.”

Isshin hummed in agreement, knowing Toshiro often felt a little isolated ( _ice-olated_ , ha! Where was Toshiro when Isshin had his dad jokes ready?) as the only ice-type Soul Reaper they knew, other than Lieutenant Kotetsu at the Fourth, and it didn’t help that there was often an unfortunate stereotype surrounding ice wielders. They were seen as cold hearted, and in fairness, Isshin had made that judgement about Toshiro when they first met, but he knew now that the boy was possibly one of the warmest Souls he had ever met.

A few minutes later, Rukia and Toshiro returned to the office as the young Kuchiki handed over her captain’s medication to Kaien, who opened it and popped out some pills into Ukitake’s hand. The two kids were laughing and smiling, seemingly over their earlier embarrassment.

“It’s snowing, Captain!” Toshiro exclaimed happily when he returned to Isshin’s side. Isshin turned and squinted at window, seeing now the white flecks of ice falling over the ground outside.

“So it is,” Isshin chuckled, ruffling Toshiro’s hair before the boy ran to the window and stared outside at the snow coming down.

He had been waiting for it to snow for weeks now – each morning they woke up to fresh frost on their division grounds but it hadn’t really snowed yet. Isshin knew Toshiro loved it when it snowed – it was when he was happiest and most playful, and usually he would come over to Isshin’s quarters to play in the back garden. Rangiku and Isshin would join him in making a snowman or having a snowball fight, and it was the time Toshiro got to act the most like a kid; innocent, happy, and mostly importantly, unable to be seen by the rest of the squad.

Isshin wondered if Rukia was the same as she joined Toshiro at the window, and excitedly pointed out to pond across the barracks, mentioning that sometimes in winter it would freeze over and be a nice place to skate.

“Why don’t you two go out and enjoy the snow for a little while?” Miyako suggested then. “We know you have been hanging out for it to snow for weeks now, Rukia.”

Rukia flushed and Isshin grinned, watching as Toshiro turned to Rukia, his eyes wide.

“Toshiro too,” Isshin added, helping the kid out when he didn’t seem to be able to speak up.

“Go on,” Ukitake waved Rukia off when she turned to him. The coughing had subsided and his voice was less croaky. “I am fine here by the fire.”

Rukia nodded and turned to Toshiro with an eyebrow raised, as if to ask ‘you coming?’

Toshiro turned to Isshin with hopeful eyes and the Squad Ten captain nodded, smiling as Toshiro’s eyes lit up with excitement and the two kids rushed outside.

“Looks like my plan is working,” Kaien grinned, heading over to the window and watching the two ice babies already starting to work on a snowman.

Ukitake’s dark eyes were twinkling with mischief as he shot Isshin a knowing look and sipped on his tea. Isshin returned the grin and leaned back in his own chair.

It looked like Kaien’s plan was working a little better than expected. They would have to arrange more afternoon teas (read: playdates) like this in future.

…

“Rukia is a lovely girl, isn’t she?” Isshin squeezed Toshiro’s shoulder as they walked through the streets of the Seireitei.

They had been at the Thirteenth for most of the afternoon, and when the snow had stopped they took the opportunity to walk back to the Tenth.

“She’s nice,” Toshiro agreed. “Knowing another ice type is cool.”

_Ice cool_ , in fact.

“Pretty too, isn’t she?” Isshin prodded a little.

Toshiro choked a little.

“I-I don’t know,” he stammered, flushing.

“It’s okay, Toshiro,” Isshin laughed, nicking Toshiro’s cheek with his knuckle in gentle affection. “You have a crush on her, it’s cute.”

“I do not have a crush!” Toshiro hissed then, turning sharply to glare at Isshin, and causing the captain to burst out laughing.

He couldn’t help it! Toshiro was so little that it was funny when he was mad – like an angry little kitten.

“Relax, Kid,” Isshin continued walking, letting the boy catch up on his own. “I remember my first crust too. It’s sweet.”

Toshiro scoffed, and crossed his arms with a huff.

“I don’t have a crush Rukia,” he pouted. “She’s just nice, that’s all.”

“Well you have a lot in common,” Isshin added casually. “You’re both hard working kids in an adult workspace-”

“I’m not a kid,” Toshiro cut in but Isshin pretended not to hear it.

“-You’re both ice wielders and winter babies,” Isshin continued, “and you’re both former Rukongai kids adopted into noble families.”

Toshiro frowned at that.

“I’m not adopted into a noble family,” he pointed out.

“Well,” Isshin shrugged, “do you want to be?”

Toshiro’s steps stuttered for a moment as his eyes snapped to the captain and Isshin stopped to regard him. The boy blinked up at him with wide eyes while the captain tilted his head and stared carefully down at his third seat. Toshiro’s face was for the most part unreadable, but Isshin saw a flicker of something in those turquoise irises, and they searched him, as if trying to find out if he was being genuine.

Isshin realised then what the flicker had been; it was _hope._

After a moment, Toshiro swallowed as he turned and continued to walk, saying nothing.

Isshin bit back the grin and followed after him at a leisurely place.

_Maybe one day then._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do write a lot of HitsuRuki on the side, but I promise you all this will just be a friendship – they’re only babies here <3 I just feel they had way too much in common in canon to have not been given a friendship at the least ahaha.
> 
> Next up we have a request for FFN guest reviewer, Cisco!


	17. Fireworks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toshiro helps Kukaku and Ganju test their fireworks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Request for my lovely FFN guest reviewer, Cisco!   
> Request: Isshin’s reaction to pre-academy Tosh burning himself.
> 
> Also I only realised last year that Kukaku had a prosthetic right arm! Tell me I wasn’t the only one to miss that while watching the anime X’D

Toshiro loved his new name.

The big man, Isshin, had given it to him a few weeks ago, and though Toshiro he knew he was still to truly earn it, it was still nice to be called something.

It was also nice that Isshin didn’t seem to be so distrustful of him anymore. In fact, he was now tutoring Toshiro for his entry exam into the Spiritual Arts Academy and came home most nights to do so, usually bringing Rangiku. Toshiro still didn’t stay nights at the manor, terrified of freezing them and especially Granny, but he never went far and he returned every morning.

While Isshin worked during the day, so did Toshiro. He tried to help out Granny as much as possible, and if not her, then Kukaku and Ganju, who were also too nice to him.

“Do you need any help today?” Toshiro asked Kukaku, standing in the doorway of her and Ganju’s fireworks workshop.

Granny was starting on dinner, though it was still early, and told Toshiro to entertain himself as she didn’t want him burning himself in the kitchen. Well, Toshiro didn’t like to not help out especially as the Shibas were feeding, clothing and tutoring him all for free, so the boy had wandered out into the workshop Kukaku and Ganju had built in the yard. He knew they had a fireworks show coming up, and that they might appreciate an extra pair of hands.

“Hey Kid,” Kukaku grinned up at him from where she sat on the floor, surrounded by firework casings, explosive powder and little pellets they called ‘stars’. “Come in, you can help me put these together.”

Toshiro straightened excitedly and rushed inside to help. Well, ‘rushed’ as much as he could with his injured leg. Thankfully, the wound was healing well – according to Kaien and Miyako – but it still hurt a little to walk in, causing him to continue to limp for now.

He lowered himself beside Kukaku as she explained which stars she wanted placed around the inner wall of the casings. Toshiro set to work, and felt his face heat slightly as she complimented his speed.

Of course he was able to load the cases quicker than her – she only had one arm!

He didn’t say anything, but his eyes slid to her prosthetic wooden arm. The noblewoman noticed and her lips twitched with a smirk.

“It’s okay, Kid,” she chuckled, handing him (with her good arm) an empty case to start filling. “You can ask.”

Toshiro hesitated, eyes flicking up to hers. Kukaku didn’t have brown eyes like Isshin, she had green ones.

“How did you lose it?” he asked eventually, his curiosity outweighing his fear of getting into trouble for a moment.

“Fireworks,” Kukaku shrugged and nodded down to the casings they were currently filling up.

Toshiro gasped, his eyes going wide. Fireworks did that to her? Kukaku was still working with them and Toshiro was helping her fill them up literally as they spoke about how she lost her arm to them. Was that not crazy?

Kukaku saw his expression and laughed loudly, patting his back reassuringly.

“Don’t worry, Kid,” Kukaku chuckled. “It was a long time ago and we’re not going to let it happen to you.”

Toshiro frowned, not entirely reassured. Nevertheless, he continued to put together the fireworks, though with much more care than before.

They were just finishing when Ganju entered the workshop.

“The tubes are set up,” he informed them gruffly. “Ready to test?”

“Certainly are,” Kukaku winked at Toshiro, reaching up to ruffle his hair.

He helped them load the tubes outside in the garden with the fireworks as Kukaku explained they were only going to test a few.

“Even though it’s daytime and we can’t see them?” Toshiro asked as the last of the tubes were loaded.

“They’re pretty bright, I think we’ll still see them,” Ganju murmured, squinting up at the overcast, albeit glaringly bright, sky. “We just test to make sure they are executing the way we want anyway, and also to get a better sense of timing.”

Understanding, Toshiro walked over to stand by Kukaku as Ganju moved to light the first firework. The noblewoman stood with her back straight and arms crossed, her eyes focused on the first tube. Glancing at her wooden arm again, Toshiro wondered briefly if she always hung back during the testing as to not lose another limb.

Ganju lit the fuse and a moment later the firework shot up into the sky, exploding loudly. He was right though; as light as it was, Toshiro still made out the red colour in that first firework.

“So cool,” Toshiro breathed, as Ganju lit the second one and it exploded in the sky the same way, shooting out gold stars this time.

Kukaku snorted and held out her fist for him to bump with his own fist. He had learned to do that while helping her out; it was her version of a handshake or a hug it seemed.

“Hey Kid,” Ganju called over to him. “Want to light one?”

Toshiro’s eyes lit up.

“Really?” he asked, excitement already in his voice.

Ganju smirked and jerked his head in gesture for Toshiro to approach. The boy limped over to the nobleman’s side quickly. Ganju passed him the lighter.

“Reach over to light the fuse,” Ganju instructed, pointing to the fuse end on the ground by Toshiro’s feet. “Then step away quickly. Understand?”

Toshiro nodded, and when he was given the signal to go ahead, lit the fuse. He stepped away quickly as instructed, and watched in awe as the firework shot up into the sky and exploded in green stars.

“Wow,” Toshiro murmured turning to grin at Kukaku first, who gave him a thumbs up, and then to Ganju who rolled his eyes despite a grin on his face.

Ganju nodded to the next fuse along.

“Do you want to do the next one?”

“Yes please!” Toshiro’s eyes lit up again. Ganju gestured for him to go ahead and Toshiro did as instructed.

This time, however, the firework did not explode as planned. It exploded much sooner than expected, in fact, as soon as the lit fuse reached it. It did not shoot up into the sky first, instead bursting open at ground level. The bang was loud and Toshiro flinched away, bringing his hands up to cover his face. Someone screamed – it might have been him – but a burning on his hand stole all of Toshiro’s attention.

He gasped and whimpered, trying to shake off the burning as the smoke around him started to clear and he felt hands on him. He didn’t see it, but he felt something fall away from the palm of his hand

“Kid, you alright?!” Ganju was there, dragging him away from the area and towards the house.

“Hand,” Toshiro gasped, feeling himself panic as his hand continued to sting horrifically hot.

Ganju cursed and looked down at it, grabbing Toshiro’s wrists and turning over both palms. Kukaku was there then, her hands on Toshiro’s shoulders and holding him tightly.

Bravely, Toshiro finally looked down at his hand and saw an angry red mark across the middle. It didn’t look too bad actually, but it hurt worse than anything.

“It’s okay,” Kukaku assured him, rubbing his shoulder gently. “It’s pretty minor. We get burns like this all the time.”

“Must have been an unexploded star,” Ganju murmured. “Better get it under some cold water.”

Toshiro swallowed but his eyes stung with painful tears. It hurt so much. He didn’t want to cry in front of them though, so he held back, biting his lip desperately.

Kukaku squeezed his shoulders and led him inside the manor and into the kitchen.

Granny gasped seeing them, rushing forward.

“What happened?” she asked, worry in those brown eyes surrounded in wrinkles.

“Firework burn,” Kukaku informed her mother calmly. “Only a little one. We’re going to sit it under some running water for a little while.”

Kukaku led Toshiro further into the kitchen and with only her good arm, picked Toshiro up and lifted him onto the bench next to the sink. Turning on the cold tap, she guided Toshiro’s hand under the flowing water. The boy flinched back at first, worried about the burn stinging more but Kukaku held him still, and soon he realised the cold water was actually helping.

After a while, it didn’t feel so bad.

“We’ll keep your hand under the water for a few more minutes,” Kukaku explained. “Then we can put some special ointment on it to help it heal. I’m sure Kaien can take a look at it later.”

Toshiro nodded, not trusting his voice to speak.

“You’re being so brave, Toshiro,” Granny told him, her arms coming around him and hugging him against her chest, though she was careful not to knock his hand. “Must have hurt a lot, especially being an ice type as Isshin tells me.”

Toshiro only swallowed and leaned into her hold. It did hurt. More than even his leg did when he had first been injured by that Hollow in Hitsugaya.

“Oh yeah,” Kukaku sighed, grimacing. “Forgot about that.”

Toshiro swallowed and bit his lip harder, turning his face into the folds of Granny’s kimono as she patted his back gently. He didn’t know if being an ice type like Isshin had suspect made it hurt more for him or not, but it did sting badly. His hand, even under the cold water, felt hot, though it was marginally better than before.

“What’s going on?”

Isshin’s voice had Toshiro’s face popping out of Granny’s kimono as the two women’s gazes snapped over to the clan head too. The captain stood in the kitchen doorway, confusion on his face and… was that concern?

“Just a small burn,” Granny sighed, turning back to Toshiro, lips turned down. “Hurts a lot, but he’s going to be okay.”

Toshiro nodded looking down and away, feeling the eyes turn on him.

Isshin came over and lifted Toshiro’s hand out from under the water for a moment to inspect it. He gently touched the burned skin and Toshiro gasped and flinched, unable to stop his face diving back to Granny’s kimono. The elderly woman made soothing sounds, and hugged him closer as Toshiro felt his hand be returned to under the water flow.

“How did this happen?” Isshin asked, his voice tense.

He had asked Granny but it was Kukaku who answered with a sigh.

“Testing fireworks,” Kukaku informed her brother, voice resigned. “Dodgy one slipped in the mix.”

“You let him test fireworks with you?!” Isshin spluttered, his voice suddenly raised.

“It was an accident, Isshin,” Kukaku was calm. “Just unlucky. Toshiro wasn’t harmed too badly.”

“Then why am I looking at a burn on his hand?” Isshin snapped.

Toshiro’s breath caught. He realised as scared as he had been of Isshin when he had first met the big man, he hadn’t actually heard the man angry before. Now though, the oldest Shiba sibling was furious and though that rage was directed at his sister, it still scared Toshiro a little.

“How can you be so stupid?!” Isshin yelled again when Kukaku didn’t answer. “He’s a child!”

His raised voice had Toshiro burying further into Granny’s hold. He removed his hand from the water flow to wrap it around his middle and away from the argument.

“Isshin, temper!” Granny hissed warningly then. “Please calm down.”

“Calm down?” Isshin growled back. “He’s hurt, Mum! In our care, after he saved you, and he’s hurt by our fireworks!”

“It’s okay,” Toshiro managed weakly, aware that his voice was probably muffled in Granny’s kimono but Isshin still heard him.

“It’s not, Kid,” Isshin huffed before he seemed to turn back on Kukaku again. “You and Ganju will keep your fireworks away from him, or you’ll start testing off manor grounds.”

“You can’t do that!” Ganju’s voice came from the other side of the kitchen and was insulted. “That’s our business.”

“I am the head of the clan.” Isshin snapped again, his voice loud and commanding. “I will not have Toshiro hurt.”

A moment of tense silence passed over the kitchen.

Toshiro peeked an eye out of Granny’s kimono to view the situation. Isshin’s face was furious – he looked so full of anger, that maybe he would explode like a firework next, and one that would be far less pretty. Ganju looked annoyed, but was keeping his mouth shut. Kukaku on the other hand, looked entirely entertained.

“Well, well, well,” she drawled. “Who would have thought you would grow to be so protective of the boy from Hitsugaya, hm?”

“That’s enough,” Isshin cut her off. “Treat his wound and send him up to the study when he’s ready. We’ll do our work up there today.”

With that the man stormed from the room, his face red and in his wake, a hot breeze passed over them. The kitchen remained silent as they listened to Isshin’s stomping footsteps ascend the stairs to the second story of the house.

“We’re sorry, Toshiro,” Kukaku sighed at last. “We shouldn’t have had you lighting the fireworks today.”

“But I liked it,” Toshiro deflated a little. “It was fun!”

“Yeah it is, isn’t it?” Kukaku grinned at him, reaching over to ruffle his hair before she reached down to pull his hand out from where he had hidden it between his and Granny’s body. She guided his hand back under the water.

Granny moved away then and returned a moment later with a tube of medical ointment. Kukaku took it from her mother and took over the treatment.

“At least you’ve still got your arm, right?” Kukaku joked suddenly, causing Toshiro to chuckle weakly, his lips turning up into a smile despite the darkness of the humour.

Gently Kukaku began to rub a small amount of the ointment into Toshiro’s palm. An ugly red mark was forming, but upon inspection, Ganju didn’t believe it will scar.

“Will I really not be able to test fireworks with you again?” Toshiro asked with a disappointed pout.

“Oh no, we wouldn’t take that away from you,” Kukaku laughed. “We just won’t tell Mr Grump upstairs, okay?”

“He’ll be so mad at you,” Toshiro’s eyes went wide, not quite believing Kukaku would betray her brother’s order after seeing him get so angry.

“I was surprised he exploded like that, even with his temper,” Kukaku admitted quietly. “Obviously you have made more of an impact on him than any of us realised.”

Toshiro threw her a questioning look, but the noblewoman merely winked at him.

“He cares a lot about you is what I’m saying,” she told him a moment later.

Toshiro blinked disbelievingly. Isshin? The big man who hadn’t wanted him here originally? Care about him so much he would yell and threaten his own siblings like that because of a small burn on Toshiro’s hand?

Kukaku shrugged, wrapping his hand in a bandage that was thankfully not too tight.

“Alright Kid,” Kukaku sighed, letting go of his bandaged hand and stepping back a little. “You’re all patched up and ready to study. Let’s keep you a safe distance from those fireworks in future, hm.”

“They’re so pretty though,” Toshiro grinned and Kukaku chuckled and nodded her agreement.

“You know, I believe we are all like fireworks,” Granny added, watching over the scene. She had stayed close, her hand on Toshiro’s back and rubbing soothingly. “We climb, shine and always go our separate ways and become further apart. But even if that time comes, let's not disappear like a firework, and continue to shine... forever.”

Toshiro smiled up at her – he liked that analogy. He would use it himself one day.

“We’ve got to keep him alive first,” Ganju snorted from the other side of the kitchen. “If Toshiro stops shining, Isshin will blow us up for sure.”

Kukaku laughed at that, while Granny pursed her lips in disapproving amusement. Toshiro couldn’t help but grin too.

He couldn’t believe Isshin cared about him that much, but if his family who had known him forever believed it, then maybe it was true.

Isshin cared for Toshiro, and that made the boy’s heart soar higher than any firework could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly don’t know how she lost her arm. I tried to look it up but there doesn’t seem to be a canon-confirmed answer.
> 
> Next up, we have another chapter for Geishaaa who wants to see Rangiku since she’s had two chapters off. Lazy bloody lieutenant…
> 
> Stay tuned~


	18. Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rangiku was back in the dating game, and it was… well, it wasn’t going well at all.

“You look really beautiful tonight, Rangiku.”

“Do you think so?” Rangiku giggled, blushing gently and trying to hide her smile.

She was dressed up tonight – a summery frock from the Living World, with some strappy sandals. Her pink lipstick matched the pink flowers on her dress and her hair shined in the sunshine.

“Of course,” Shuuhei nudged her gently as they walked, “but you always look beautiful. You’re the hottest woman in the Seireitei.”

Rangiku smirked, “That’s just Haineko’s effect.”

Inside her mind, the ash kitten purred appreciatively at the compliment.

“Well either way, I’m glad you asked me out tonight,” Shuuhei laughed.

Yes, Rangiku had asked Shuuhei out on a date. She was back in the dating game, and it was… well, it wasn’t going well at all.

Gin had broken up with her over six months ago, and Isshin – sick of seeing Rangiku moping on her ass in the office all day – had told her to go out and meet up with someone. Of course, he had meant a girl friend of hers, but Rangiku had made up her mind. It was time she got her mind off Gin and onto someone who would treat her better, or at least could provide a temporary distraction from her heartbreak.

She wasn’t sure she was ready to find another boyfriend just yet, but Rangiku figured she hadn’t dated in years, so it was time she went out and built up some dating confidence. Not all men were assholes, right?

The only thing was that, _well,_ all men were assholes.

Rangiku had asked out or been asked out by six different men in the last month, and all six of them had stood her up, or run off mid-date and not returned. When confronted later, they all seemed rather nervous, and refused to tell her why they had ditched her, like they were scared of her or something.

How could they be scared of her? Rangiku was a treat, even at her worst.

She suspected Gin may have been involved, but she had little proof. She had even tried dating unseated officers that Gin would never have met before to throw him off, but regardless of whether they were lieutenants like her or unknown soldiers in random divisions, every single one of them had left her all dressed up and alone in the first half of their date.

Shuuhei Hisagi was lucky number seven. Rangiku had hope for him, though it was a little strange going on a date with one of her closest friends. Shuuhei had known her for decades though and that meant he knew her well – he had seen her at her best and at her worst, and he was well aware of her history with the captain of Squad Three. Rangiku didn’t think he could be scared off so easily.

“Where do you want to go tonight?” Rangiku asked. Shuuhei had just picked her up from her quarters and they were heading towards the South Gate of the Seireitei.

“There’s a new bar inside our gates,” Shuuhei told her and Rangiku nodded keenly – any place that had alcohol and lots of it was her kind of place. “They have a great outdoor set up, so we can sit in the sun while it’s still up.”

They headed towards the bar and when Rangiku reached it she recognised it as one Renji had been gushing about since it sat just outside the Sixth Division Barracks.

“Why don’t we sit here?” Shuuhei gestured to a table. Rangiku nodded and he led her over, and the Squad Nine Lieutenant earned himself some chivalry points when he pulled out a chair for Rangiku and pushed it in behind her.

“I’ll go get some drinks to start us,” Shuuhei smiled at her and Rangiku caught his wrist quickly, bringing him back to the table.

“Let me get the first round,” Rangiku offered, standing up again. Shuuhei protested, like a gentleman, but Rangiku wouldn’t have a bar of it. “Please, I did ask you out tonight.”

Shuuhei’s blush was faint but his grin couldn’t be stopped. After a moment’s hesitation, he relented and sat down in the other chair. Rangiku nodded in satisfaction and grabbed her purse, ducking inside the bar to order drinks.

The place was busy, bustling with Soul Reapers celebrating the end of the working week with their colleagues, friends and even a few with their dates for the evening. Rangiku smiled and waved to a few she knew as she made her way to the bar, ordering two cocktails and a bottle of sake. That should be enough to get them started, thought it certainly wouldn’t be enough to last them all night as both she and Shuuhei were big drinkers.

The bartender made the drinks and Rangiku paid, she managed to get the lot into her arms and she turned, carrying them back out to where her date was…

Missing?

Rangiku’s smile turned to a frown as she put the drinks down on the abandoned table. Shuuhei was gone, no trace of him left behind. In fact, others who had been sitting outside were gone too, not that there had been many to begin with.

If it had been her first rodeo, Rangiku would have sat for a while, hoping he would return. Maybe he had ducked to the bathroom, or seen a friend inside? She would sit for maybe twenty minutes, half an hour, maybe even an hour, but it didn’t matter because he wasn’t coming back.

She had just been ditched by date number seven – her lucky number seven that she had held out hope for.

Rangiku huffed, and threw back the two cocktails before snatching the bottle of sake up (waste not, want not) and stalked back towards her barracks. At this stage she didn’t know if it was even worth confronting Shuuhei when she saw him next. The others had all cowered and refused to make eye contact, making up stupid excuses for why they had left (‘oh I forgot I needed to sort my sock drawer’, ‘I needed to feed my pet rock’, the list went on and only got worse) – so why would Shuuhei be any different?

Rangiku was far beyond self-conscious or upset now – she had moved right to _pissed off_.

There was no way that she was the problem here. Gin had to be involved and if she could stand to be in his presence, she would have marched right up to him and punched him in his stupid grinning face.

Too bad she couldn’t even look at him without feeling ready to cry.

Sighing in frustration, Rangiku marched to her captain’s private quarters – it was time to bring in the big guns now.

She knocked, rather aggressively, on Isshin’s door.

The man opened the door and leaned against the frame with a tired expression.

“It’s not enough that you hassle me through the week,” the captain sighed. “Now you have to come to my quarters on my nights off?”

“Sorry, Sir, but this is an emergency,” Rangiku barged in, making a beeline straight for the couch in the living room which she immediately flopped on.

There was a resigned sigh from the hall before Isshin’s familiar footsteps followed her into his living room.

He sat in the arm chair opposite her, a book discarded on the table, with a half empty cup of sake beside it. Rangiku scooped up the cup and topped it up with her sake from the bar, and took swallowed it all in two gulps, before filling it up again.

“So what emergency calls for you to barge into my living quarters on a Friday night,” Isshin drawled, “when I stated explicitly today that I was going to have a quiet and peaceful night without interruption?”

“I have just been ditched my by seventh date, Captain,” Rangiku told him seriously. _“Seventh.”_

Isshin blinked before he frowned. It wasn’t the first time she had mentioned it happening. In fact it was now the seventh time she had mentioned it to him.

“Again?” Isshin asked, voice disbelieving. “Hisagi?”

_“Yep,”_ Rangiku smacked her lips, taking another swig from the sake cup. “I went to the bar, came back and he was gone.”

Isshin leaned back in his chair.

“You’ve got to stop leaving them alone for a start,” Isshin told her. “That seems to be when they’re running away.”

“I can’t be with them the whole night,” Rangiku sighed. “One of us will need to go to the bathroom eventually, or the bar, or whatever other reason.”

Isshin sighed lowly, “And you’re certain it’s Gin?”

“What else could it be?” Rangiku shrugged, running her hand through her hair.

Gin had some nerve trying to stop her dating when he was the one that ended things between them. The thought of it made her angry enough to cry, and that was almost worst then crying because she was sad.

“Do you want me to talk to him?” Isshin asked, though he looked apprehensive.

Rangiku didn’t blame him – Isshin had tried to stay pretty neutral to the whole thing. His lieutenant’s romantic ventures weren’t something to get involved in, especially when the other half of the romance was high ranked colleague and things had turned ugly. However, even though Isshin claimed he wasn’t going to take sides, Rangiku knew his loyalty laid with her.

“I just want to know if it’s him,” Rangiku stared down into her sake cup. “I’m trying to move on, Captain.”

Isshin nodded, smiling weakly at her.

“Why don’t you arrange another date,” Isshin suggested a moment later, “and I will go see Gin while it’s on. If it is him, I might be able to keep him distracted.”

Rangiku thought about it and eventually agreed with a nod. Isshin promised not to mention anything about Rangiku or the disastrous dates to Gin, he was going to take some paperwork over there and just keep him distracted for the duration of the date. Rangiku would owe him dearly if it worked – Isshin surely wasn’t going to enjoy spending a couple hours with the ‘snake’ Captain.

“Thanks, Sir,” Rangiku smiled at her captain, getting to her feet. “I’ll let you know what the arrangements are tomorrow.”

Isshin nodded as he stood and walked her to the door.

“Since you’re not going to be out tonight, you can go finish the paperwork,” Isshin smirked, opening the door for her.

Rangiku cringed; he had that return favour lined up and it was probably the only reason he had agreed to help.

“Fine,” Rangiku muttered. “Only because you’re helping me with this.”

“It’s also your job, Rangiku,” Isshin sighed. “If Toshiro is still working, send him bed.”

“It’s still daylight?”

“And he’s a growing boy.”

With that, Isshin shut his front door quickly, leaving Rangiku’s argument dead on her tongue. Rolling her eyes, she ambled slowly towards the office, feeling no need to rush to get there. She was supposed to have a hot date tonight, not a boring one at her desk.

She arrived at the office to find Toshiro still working. Her captain had been right but neither of them had been surprised.

“Another bad date?” the third seat asked when she entered, his teal eyes sweeping her modern human look before jumping to the clock to confirm the time.

Rangiku sighed and nodded.

She approached the desk, gesturing for the third seat to get up.

“I have been sentenced to paperwork,” Rangiku huffed. “You’ve been sentenced to bed.”

“It’s still daylight?”

“And you’re a growing boy.”

Toshiro’s face was if she had deeply offended him and Rangiku couldn’t help but laugh.

“Captain’s orders, Toshiro,” Rangiku chuckled. “If it were up to me, I would let you do all the paperwork and I’d be the one going to bed.”

Toshiro pouted, getting out of the chair.

“Can I at least have a tea and read for a while?” he asked, those teal eyes wide with hope. Rangiku could never refuse them.

“Okay yes, but decaffeinated tea only,” Rangiku told him, frowning as she heard how motherly she was sounding. She didn’t like that, she preferred her sisterly role.

With far too much excitement and energy for a kid about to go to bed, Toshiro rushed off to the office kitchen and returned a moment later with a tea – two teas actually, and he placed one in front of Rangiku.

“Got anything stronger?” Rangiku muttered, frowning down at the paperwork Toshiro had been working on. It made zero sense to her.

“Caffeinated tea?” Toshiro offered then, though he would have known she meant something more _alcoholic._

Rangiku rolled her eyes at the boy as he smirked and turned away, settling himself on the couch with a book way thicker than Rangiku would ever read on her own.

Sighing, the lieutenant turned back the paperwork to stare at it a moment longer. It still didn’t make sense so she put aside and grabbed the next sheet. That one didn’t make sense either, so again she grabbed the next. This continued for several more minutes, each form and report she picked up more complicated than the last. Eventually she gave up with a loud huff.

“I can’t do it,” she said simply, pushing the paperwork away and getting up from the desk. She circled around her captain’s desk and retrieved some sake out of his cabinet before she made her way to the couch.

Toshiro was still reading, his tea cup now empty, as she sat down opposite him. She eyed him.

“Didn’t I send you to bed?”

“Didn’t Captain send you to do paperwork?” Toshiro retorted, a sliver of a smirk playing at his lips.

That kid was far less innocent than he seemed. Rangiku smirked and chuckled – he had a point.

“You should go to bed though,” Rangiku teased the boy. “Children who sleep more, grow more.”

Toshiro sighed and closed his book with a snap. Those teal eyes turned to her, laced with mischief.

“How about I _don’t_ go to bed,” Toshiro suggested, “and you don’t do the paperwork. Let’s play Spinning Tops.”

Rangiku chuckled, seeing the boy’s eyes light up as he reached for the Spinning Tops set under the coffee table that he and Isshin regularly played with together.

“Disobeying a captain’s orders?” Rangiku teased again. “My, my, Toshiro. I must be rubbing off on you.”

Toshiro rolled his eyes, taking the time to explain that it was the weekend now, so he had all day tomorrow to sleep and would even do the paperwork, so Rangiku didn’t ‘mess it up’. Isshin would never know, because he usually spent weekends at home at Shiba Manor. It was a Class A Rangiku plan and she supposed she had rubbed off on that kid. In the wake of her breakup with Gin, she and Toshiro had spent a lot of time together – the young third seat who was like a little brother to her wanting to keep her mind off her heartbreak. It was cute actually, and Rangiku enjoyed it, though she could see now that she was a terrible influence on the kid.

“A couple of rounds,” Rangiku relented then, plucking the hot pink top out of the collection that Toshiro had presented to her. “Once daylight goes, you’re off to bed.”

“Deal,” Toshiro grinned, picking up the deep green top that Isshin had given him as a birthday gift one year.

Well, daylight had long disappeared and they kept playing. Toshiro’s antics were energetic (she suspected he hadn’t used the decaf tea), and after an hour or so of playing, Rangiku had almost forgotten about her failed seventh date.

* * *

Rangiku arranged her eighth date for that coming Tuesday night, and had sent Isshin off to the Third with a bunch of paperwork of Gin’s ‘urgent attention’.

However, Rangiku’s date had never showed. Well that was lie, Rangiku had seen her date (a random unseated officer from Squad Eleven – they were brutes, but they weren’t easily scared off) approaching her quarters through her kitchen window. Scurrying to get her shoes on and her lipstick into her purse, Rangiku took her eyes off the window for all of a few minutes. The man never came to the door, something turning him away in between.

“So I sat with Gin for four hours,” Isshin gritted his teeth, when she told him the news later that night in the office, “for date that didn’t even last four seconds?”

Rangiku shrugged, flopping back on the office couch. “Sorry, I didn’t have a way to contact you.”

“Soul Phone?” Isshin prompted but Rangiku shook her head – she didn’t want Gin to hear her on the phone.

Isshin sent her an exhausted look, but Rangiku ignored it.

According to Isshin, Gin had been with him the Squad Three Captain’s office the whole time. He hadn’t left, he hadn’t chased off Rangiku’s newest date.

It didn’t make any sense! Rangiku hadn’t told anyone but Isshin about the new guy, and she had made her date promise not to tell anyone either. Granted, she didn’t know if she could trust a guy that came from the Eleventh, but still, something didn’t add up.

“By the way,” Isshin sighed, coming to sit on the couch opposite Rangiku. “I punched Gin in the face tonight.”

Rangiku choked, “You what?!”

Isshin shrugged, “He had it coming.”

Something told Rangiku there was more to that story, but maybe now wasn’t the time to ask. She knew her captain had done it to defend her in some way, and probably as a result of an insensitive comment from the Squad Three Captain.

Rangiku sighed, deciding she would rather not know what her ex might have said about her.

It was late now, Toshiro had long been sent to bed, but Rangiku would have loved to take her mind off her unfortunate love life with a game of Spinning Tops or whatever he wanted to play that night.

“Let’s try one more thing,” Isshin offered then. “Instead of following Gin, I’ll follow you and your date. I’ll keep my eye on the guy, and hopefully catch where it’s all going wrong.”

Rangiku nodded – it was the only idea they had left. She hadn’t totally ruled out Gin’s involvement – he could have perhaps had someone like Kira working for him.

“You’re being awfully helpful, Captain,” Rangiku chuckled, trying to make some sort of light in the situation that was driving her to madness.

“Well I’m sick of hearing the complaints,” Isshin rolled his eyes. “I don’t think you’re ready to be dating at all, if I’m being honest, but I also won’t have someone messing with my lieutenant like this.”

“Thanks, Captain,” Rangiku sighed. Isshin had told her multiple times over the last few weeks that he didn’t think she was ready to be dating again, so it meant a lot that he was trying his best to help her now.

* * *

Date number nine (Rangiku didn’t bother to learn this guy’s name), similarly to number eight, never made it to the door.

Rangiku didn’t even bother getting dressed up this time, figuring if the guy made it to her quarters to pick her up, then he could wait five minutes for her to change. Alas, the guy never made it.

This time Isshin was hiding out there somewhere, his Spiritual Pressure drawn right back as he observed from a distance. This time Rangiku didn’t take her eyes off the kitchen window, watching as the man approached.

She saw the moment her date stopped dead in his tracks, fear in his eyes for a moment, his hand grabbing for a Zanpakuto he wasn’t carrying, before he turned and flash stepped away. She didn’t see what had done that too him.

Huffing and stalking out onto her front porch, Rangiku found Isshin leaning against the side of her quarters, a mildly entertained expression on his face.

“Tell me you saw what scared him off?” Rangiku pleaded with the man – she was at her wits end over this. She couldn’t do ten failed dates, she just couldn’t. At this rate she was going to have to pack up and head to the nunnery.

“Oh yes I saw it,” Isshin nodded, a slight smirk at his lips.

“And?” Rangiku prompted, not in the mood for Isshin’s sarcasm tonight.

“And your dates are scared of a child, Rangiku,” Isshin told her with an amused tone. From behind him, Isshin pulled out a very disgruntled Toshiro, holding the child up off the ground by his the back of his uniform shirt. “Here’s the guy messing with your dates.”

“Toshiro?” Rangiku blinked, confused.

The boy hung by his uniform, twisting to try and reach Isshin’s hold on him. His face was bright red, teal eyes refusing to meet her blue ones.

“Go on,” Isshin prompted the boy. “Show her.”

The boy shook his head and continued twisting, until Isshin reminded him that he wasn’t going to put him down until he showed Rangiku whatever it was.

Reluctantly, Toshiro stopped struggling and was thrust out in front of Rangiku so he was closer. Teal eyes finally met her for a second before they suddenly started glowing. His eyeballs went a vibrant blue and glowed, pulsing with light, while his skin turned silver and almost scaly. His hair stood up in all directions and creating sharp spikes. Rangiku flinched back a moment, a deep frown on her face.

Toshiro looked demonic.

“Do the growl thing,” Isshin ordered happily.

A deep hiss left Toshiro’s lips then, starting almost snake-like before growing into something that was far closer to a predatory growl. His teeth were bared, and now looked like they were all incisors – each tooth pointed and sharp, like he was ready to tear someone’s head off their neck with his teeth.

He looked terrifying, like a demon. No – like a _dragon._

Rangiku felt a shiver roll down her spine.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Rangiku stepped back. “That’s disturbing.”

As promised, Isshin put Toshiro down then when he changed back to his normal appearance, but didn’t let the kid run away, pulling him back to stand in front of the captain, Isshin keeping his hands tightly on the third seat’s shoulders.

“Very disturbing,” Isshin agreed before he looked down at the boy. “How did you do that?”

“It’s Hyorinmaru coming out,” Toshiro admitted reluctantly, his face redder than Rangiku had ever seen it – even redder than the time he had accidentally called Isshin ‘Dad’ in front of the whole Squad.

“I haven’t heard of that happening before,” Isshin looked at Rangiku with a mildly concerned expression. “I’ll be looking into that further.”

Rangiku agreed but what she really wanted to know was why her little third seat was sabotaging her love life.

“Why are you chasing away my dates, hm?” Rangiku asked the boy, staring down at him, though Toshiro decided the porch was far more interesting to look at.

“Don’t tell us you’ve got a crush on Rangiku,” Isshin teased Toshiro when the boy refused to give an answer. “She’s way too old for you, Kid.”

“Hey,” Rangiku called, offended by the ‘old’ accusation, as true as it was.

Thankfully, Toshiro seemed just as disgusted by the idea as she was.

“No!” he hissed, struggling again in Isshin’s tight grasp. “That’s not it!”

“Then why?” Rangiku prompted, growing tired of the games.

“Because you’re not ready!” Toshiro shouted at her then, probably louder than he meant to. “All you do is cry now because of _him.”_

The ‘him’ was spat with venom, and Rangiku didn’t have to guess who he was talking about.

“He makes you cry, even now,” the boy continued to rant, “and you’re desperate to go on more dates with more guys that are just going to make you cry too? That’s stupid.”

Rangiku swallowed and regarded down at the boy who was once again looking away from her. She sighed deeply and crouched down to his level, glancing up at Isshin briefly. The captain seemed surprised too, but also like he agreed – though he had been pretty vocal about telling Rangiku she wasn’t ready to be dating again. Perhaps Isshin’s idle comments had landed with at least one of his subordinates. 

That, or Rangiku had simply cried too many times in front of her child third seat. Both real possibilities, when she recalled the night of the initial breakup when Toshiro and Isshin had spent all night in her bed with her, comforting her.

“Hey now, I’m a big girl,” Rangiku told the boy, capturing his gaze. She took his hands as Isshin slowly let the boy’s shoulders go. “I might get hurt again, I might even cry, but I can’t be scared forever. I need to move on, and how can I do that if you’re chasing away my dates?”

Toshiro said nothing, his eyes piercing her uncomfortably.

“And if I do cry again,” Rangiku continued, “then I know you and Captain Shiba have my back. We look after each other, right?”

Toshiro looked like he wanted to say more, like he had another argument lined up, but was struggling to get it out.

“What’s the matter?” Rangiku asked, sensing Toshiro wanted to say something else.

“I think he’s a little jealous,” Isshin supplied then, ignoring Toshiro’s immediate outcry of ‘no way!’ Rangiku glanced up at the captain questioningly before Isshin shrugged and continued. “Since you and Gin broke up, you have been spending more down time with Toshiro. I think he’s worried he’s going to lose that.”

Toshiro made to move then, but Rangiku kept a strong hold on his hands, even has they grew colder and colder.

Realisation settled with Rangiku then, the lieutenant making a silent ‘ah’ face. She and Toshiro had been spending more time together, especially outside of their Soul Reaping responsibilities. He had been trying to cheer her up for months with games and books, sometimes other hobbies. He had even lain out in the sun with her for hours at a time so she wouldn’t feel lonely while she tanned. They had grown even closer than before, Toshiro opening himself up to be more fun and carefree around her, while Rangiku had grown an interest in which books he was reading, getting him to give her a rundown chapter by chapter so she wouldn’t have to actually read it herself.

Admittedly, the extra time they had spent together was the one blessing to come out of her breakup.

It made sense that Toshiro thought he was going to lose that if she started dating again.

Smiling softly, Rangiku brought the boy in for a hug, the ice wielder cold and reluctant in her hold but not fighting her off.

“You’re still my number one,” Rangiku told the kid.

Isshin scoffed in mock offence, “Now I think I should be jealous.”

Rangiku ignored the comment and squeezed the little third seat tightly.

“We’re not going to stop hanging out,” she told him before she swallowed, “and maybe I will take a longer break before I organise any more dates.”

“Really?” Toshiro asked, and Rangiku’s heart clenched hearing how small his sounded.

“Yes, I promise,” Rangiku chuckled, “but only if you promise me that when I am ready to date again, you won’t scare any men away.”

“I won’t scare them…” Toshiro conceded, _mostly,_ “but I won’t make it easy for them either.”

Rangiku rolled her eyes and pulled back out of the hug. A slight smirk was on Toshiro’s face now, and it was good to see even a hint of a smile on the boy’s face.

“I am such a bad influence on you,” Rangiku grinned.

Toshiro shrugged, like he didn’t care.

Isshin shot Rangiku a look that said he agreed with her statement, and that she needed to be a better role model for their third seat.

Releasing his wrists, Rangiku stood up.

“Well my date tonight is ruined,” Rangiku shot Toshiro a playful glare. “How about we head inside for a family game night? Cluedo?”

Cluedo was a board game from the World of the Living that Isshin had brought home one time. Toshiro was the only one out of the three of them who really seemed to understand it, and he almost always won, losing only occasionally to Isshin. Rangiku was hopeless at it, but she was happy to see her two men win tonight.

After all, they had spent the last six months looking after her.

“I call Professor Plum,” Toshiro’s eyes lit up and he ran inside to Rangiku’s living room.

“I’ll be Mrs Peacock,” Isshin called after him, winking at Rangiku quickly before he followed the young third seat into the Lieutenant’s Quarters.

Rangiku bit back a grin, rolling her eyes and heading back inside.

“Well I am Miss Scarlett, of course.”

Rangiku entered the living room to find Toshiro and Isshin setting up the board game enthusiastically. She watched them as she went about making a fresh pot of (decaf) tea for Toshiro, and grabbed a sake bottle for her and Isshin.

She supposed she could take another few months before she tried dating again. She would rather have nights like this anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up, another request for RainbowStarMountain! Oh yessss, we’re having a bit of a run in with the Captain of Squad Twelve…


	19. Hallucination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toshiro has a run in with the scientist captain, Mayuri Kurotsuchi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is request number 2 for my amazing FFN reviewer, RainbowStarMountain!  
> Request: Toshiro drunk/drugged and interacting with other members of the Gotei Thirteen.
> 
> Warning – this chapter is mostly crack lol, prepare for some OOC Toshiro and wild hallucinations. Happy trippin’, kids!

Isshin held his head in his hands as he stared down at his paperwork. He huffed; gods he hated the stuff. His eyes hurt and his head throbbed with an oncoming migraine.

“Toshiro,” the captain called out for his third seat, hoping he could convince the boy to read through it all and sign it on his behalf.

They needed a captain’s signature but Toshiro could forge that and Isshin trusted his judgement.

“He’s not here,” Rangiku’s voice replied lazily from the couch, like she was half asleep. Knowing her, she probably was.

Isshin frowned and lifted his head, noticing the vacant desk by the window.

“Well, where is he?”

* * *

Toshiro stared down at his paperwork and huffed.

It was not his job to deliver paperwork like this – it was Sixth Seat Kubo’s responsibility. Toshiro already did the hard yards; he had been the one to actually complete the reports, he shouldn’t have to go running around the whole city to deliver them too.

Alas, Sixth Seat Kubo was lazier than Rangiku, and a better liar.

If Toshiro wanted something done right, he would have to do it himself.

Thankfully, Toshiro only had two divisions left to visit – the Twelfth and the Sixth. Unfortunately they were on opposite sides of the Seireitei. At least the Sixth was next to Tenth so from there Toshiro wouldn’t have far to get home. Regrettably, that left the Twelfth to be his next visit.

Toshiro glanced up at the tall gates into the Twelfth and felt a shiver roll down his spine. He had never been inside before and he had hoped never to. That place freaked him out, and he had heard some awful rumours about the squad’s captain, Mayuri Kurotsuchi.

They were just that though – rumours.

_Pull yourself together._

Toshiro swallowed, wishing now that he would have brought his sword, and entered the gates, informing the guards on duty that he was delivering paperwork for their captain’s signature. They let him through and Toshiro ventured cautiously into the barracks.

He knew their third seat, a dark haired man with named Akon. He was rather nice actually, and one of the calmer few in their biannual third seat meetings, but one did have to overlook the strange horns that protruded from his forehead.

Toshiro was hoping to find Akon, drop off the paperwork and get out of there, quick smart.

Thankfully, Toshiro found the third seat quickly enough in their administration building. Despite not being his the lab, Akon still wore his white lab coat over his uniform.

“Hitsugaya,” Akon greeted, voice calm as always. “You don’t often deliver paperwork?”

“I’m having problems with my sixth seat,” Toshiro sighed, handing over the paperwork.

“I hear that,” Akon smirked.

Toshiro gave a half smile in return, and turned to leave, flinching back a little when he came face to face with the terrifying Mayuri Kurotsuchi and his lieutenant, who Toshiro had heard was actually a robot. They had approached him silently; Toshiro hadn’t known they were behind him.

Toshiro bowed low quickly, not wanting to show any disrespect to the captain with the face paint and strange head piece.

“You must be Toshiro Hitsugaya,” the captain’s voice was playful, “the child prodigy with the legendary Hyorinmaru Zanpakuto.”

“Yes, Sir,” Toshiro kept his head down. 

“Captain Shiba has spoken excellent things about you, Boy, and I heard all about you trying to scare off your lieutenant’s dates with your Zanpakuto,” Kurotsuchi continued. “It’s unbelievable to think a mere child is the host of such a powerful spirit.”

Toshiro didn’t answer, he wasn’t sure how to. He had scared off Rangiku’s dates by letting Hyorinmaru essentially possess him – Isshin was still stumped by it but Toshiro knew it was possible because he and Hyorinmaru had such a close bond.

“Nemu, fetch us some of my special tea,” the captain ordered his robot daughter/lieutenant. “Young Hitsugaya and I will be having a chat in my office.”

“Oh I-I have more paperwork to deliver,” Toshiro stammered, eyes snapping up to the scientist captain as he straightened up.

“Now, now. It’s rude to refuse a captain, Boy,” Kurotsuchi tutted. “I just want to get to know you better.”

Toshiro wanted so badly to protest but in truth, he was a little afraid to. He tried to glance at Akon for help, but the man had conveniently disappeared with the paperwork.

A heavy hand fell on his shoulder and Toshiro flinched, seeing it was Kurotsuchi’s hand on him, but the captain ignored him and set off, steering the boy towards his office.

They entered the office and Toshiro’s eyes widened.

Captain Kurotsuchi’s office was not like Isshin’s. It was not light, warm or comforting, with basic furniture and a nice view out to the training grounds.

No, this office was dark, smelled like disinfectant and had a number of strange things around the room. This included, but was not limited to, a shrivelled head in a glass jar, some unrecognisable bug-like creatures swimming around test tubes filled with lime green liquid, and a large luggage trunk which rattled and screamed, as though something – or _someone_ – was trapped inside.

Kurotsuchi kicked the trunk harshly as he passed it, and the scream ceased immediately, the trunk stilling.

The scientist captain guided Toshiro to a seat opposite the large desk at the far end of the room, before he circled around and sat in the large swivel chair on the other side.

Dark eyes regarded Toshiro carefully as they sat in silence, the boy playing idly with the corner of Squad Six’s paperwork in his lap. Eventually Nemu returned carrying two cups of tea, and a plate of fried insects.

Toshiro stared down into the tea cup he was given. The black liquid swirled ominously, clearly not the same green tea that Isshin kept in his office.

Kurotsuchi took a long sip of his own tea, before taking a handful of the fried insects and popping them into his mouth with a satisfied hum.

He stared Toshiro down, his eyes flickering down to the tea cup in his hands and back up, the insulation clear as day. _‘It’s rude to refuse a captain’._ Toshiro internalised the sigh and took a sip.

It was disgusting, but Toshiro withheld the shudder and revolted facial expression he wanted to give.

“You’re a very powerful young boy,” Kurotsuchi commented offhandedly. “They just found you in the Hitsugaya district?”

“Lieutenant Matsumoto found me on her patrol duty,” Toshiro felt the need to explain, like Kurotsuchi was looking for more information.

“I wasn’t aware lieutenants were doing patrol duty these days,” Kurotsuchi questioned, like he didn’t believe him.

Toshiro took another sip of the disgusting tea and shrugged.

“She would have been getting punished,” Toshiro guessed. “Captain Shiba sends his seated officers on patrol duty when they are in trouble.”

The captain’s laugh was closer to a witch’s cackle than anything else.

“He’s a strange man that Captain Shiba,” Kurotsuchi chuckled, as if he was joking but Toshiro didn’t think he was.

“He’s a great captain,” Toshiro added lightly. He was also a great father figure, but he wasn’t going to mention that to a stranger.

Kurotsuchi’s snarl was only slight but Toshiro saw it. He took another sip of his tea, because even that seemed more pleasant than getting into an argument with Captain Kurotsuchi about it. Actually, the more he drank of the tea, the better it was starting to taste. Toshiro thought he could see patterns swirling in the tea and it was becoming fun to watch.

Furthermore, the more Toshiro drank, the more it seemed to appease the scientist captain.

Soon the cup was empty and Nemu returned, handing a small black pouch to her captain.

Toshiro frowned as he watched the captain pull out some tweezers, a syringe and- was that a scalpel? Toshiro stared in confusion, his thoughts suddenly feeling muddled, his vision warping. On the desk, an ink pot was screaming at Toshiro to run.

That couldn’t be normal, right?

“I don’t feel well,” he mumbled, his own voice echoing in his mind.

Kurotsuchi hummed in agreement.

“You certainly won’t after this,” the captain commented dryly, “but I will when I find out what the internal organs of Hyorinmaru’s wielder looks like.”

“Internal organs?” Toshiro asked with a frown, holding his stomach which was beginning to feel queasy.

He wanted to go home. He wanted to go back to Isshin and Rangiku. He didn’t feel safe here.

Toshiro stood to leave, grasping the paperwork in his hands, and tripped immediately. He picked himself up though, and continued his stumble towards the door. He fell against the door when he finally reached it and his free hand weakly battered at the door handle, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Oh no, Boy,” Kurotsuchi cackled. “You won’t be going anywhere.”

Toshiro glanced up to see the scientist crawling toward him, syringe in hand and about six extra legs than he used to have – he was a spider. His body warped in Toshiro’s vision, his midsection swirling in on itself. Toshiro blinked once, then twice more, but his vision wouldn’t correct.

Toshiro whimpered.

His thoughts were beyond confused – he had no idea what was happening, or if he might be imagining it all, but he did know one thing and that was that he needed to get out of here now.

He needed to get back home.

Something grabbed his arm and Toshiro flinched, seeing a pincer around his forearm, and the glint of the syringe being brought down on him.

_Hyorinmaru, help!_

The spider hissed, retracting his hand, and Toshiro briefly saw him shake off frost.

“How can you access your Zanpakuto without your sword?” the captain’s voice was shocked as he made to grab for Toshiro who dropped low and slipped between his eight ankles.

The young third seat saw a light then, behind some thick curtains and a rumbling voice in the back of his mind told him it was a window.

It was his way out.

Kurotsuchi made a grab for him again and Toshiro might have squealed? He didn’t know but he used the opportunity to flash step, smashing through the curtain covered window.

It hurt when he crashed onto the concrete road surrounded in shards of glass, but Toshiro picked himself up again, only to fall back on his ass. He heard Kurotsuchi’s anguished scream and made to flash step again. He was flying through the air, just over the barrack gates, when something grabbed his ankle and pulled him back to the ground harshly.

Toshiro was then lifted by his ankle and held above the ground, the blood running to his head as his vision warped more. Kurotsuchi’s face, when Toshiro was held up to it, had eight eyes that stared at him hungrily. Toshiro struggled and coldness overcame him again but this time Kurotsuchi didn’t let him go.

“Why you little shi-”

“Captain Kurotsuchi,” a new voice called, and this one sounded deep, ancient and disapproving. “Might I ask what you are doing with that child?”

Toshiro was swung around as Kurotsuchi turned to the voice, and immediately Toshiro was dropped, landing head first on the hard ground. That hurt too, but Toshiro held back the groan, clutching his head as he quickly rolled away from the captain. His head was wet and when Toshiro pulled back his hand, he saw blood on his fingers.

“Nothing, Commander,” Kurotsuchi’s voice was sweeter, more innocent, but Toshiro knew it was lies. “The boy was just dropping off some paperwork for me.”

“This paperwork is for the Sixth, Sir,” another new voice, one that was posh.

“Well, my mistake then,” Kurotsuchi appeared to smile, his eight eyes blinking in false innocence. “Good day, Commander.”

The spider Kurotsuchi moved suddenly, causing Toshiro to flinch and jump back up to his feet, running away.

He immediately ran into something white and squishy, and scorching in temperature.

“Hot,” Toshiro gasped, stumbling back until he fell over again, “Hot, hot, hot.”

A hand grabbed Toshiro by the back of his uniform and stood him back up. Toshiro glanced up, expecting to see the spider, but it was a tall man with silver hair and caterpillar on his top lip.

“I believe this is that child third seat of Captain Shiba’s, Sir,” the man commented in his posh voice. “His name is Hitsugaya.”

“Yes, the Hyorinmaru ice wielder,” the ancient voice murmured in recognition and Toshiro turned to stare up at it. It was the white hot object he had run into, except it wasn’t an object, it was a giant fluff ball that kind of resembled the Gotei Thirteen’s Head Captain.

The fluff ball moved towards him and Toshiro blinked, hoping his vision would stop swimming and finally the figure’s face stopped warping, though there was two of it.

It was the Head Captain! Toshiro knew he was supposed to bow, but was struggling to co-ordinate his body to cooperate. After a moment he finally managed, but bowed too far over and fell forward, caught again by the back of his uniform before he hit the ground.

“Your head is bleeding, Child,” the Head Captain said, voice soft that Toshiro might have expected. “What did Captain Kurotsuchi want with you?”

“He wanted to see my internal organs,” Toshiro blurted out, “and he looks like a spider.”

Behind him, the man with the caterpillar lip and posh voice choked on a cough.

“Kurotsuchi has done something to the boy,” the Head Captain murmured with a disapproving hum, like this wasn’t the first time he had seen this before. “You should take him back to the Tenth, Sasakibe.”

“No, please Sir, I-I need to…” Toshiro shook his head and swallowed, racking his brain for his memory. He had something he had to do. “I need to deliver something.”

“The paperwork,” the posh voice, Lieutenant Sasakibe he supposed, supplied and suddenly, Toshiro’s stack of paperwork was in his hands again. Toshiro frowned at how crumpled it had become. “It’s for the Sixth.”

“Yes,” Toshiro nodded, pretending to remember but he didn’t. The writing on the paperwork was swimming. He swallowed and nodded to himself.

The Sixth, they said? He could go there.

Toshiro murmured a quiet thanks and set off in a direction, only to be turned around by the Head Captain’s cane and sent in the opposite direction.

“Oh that’s very, very, very, very hot,” Toshiro gasped and leapt away from the cane – it was even hotter than Isshin’s sword and that was the hottest thing Toshiro had ever touched in his life. Somehow it hadn’t burned him, but it felt like it should have.

“Follow him, Sasakibe. Get the poor boy home,” the Head Captain sighed. “The last thing I need is Isshin causing a rampage over this.”

Toshiro laughed then, though he wasn’t sure why. In his head, he envisioned his captain, charging like a bull, his hands at his head and pointing forward with his fingers to imitate horns. Toshiro’s captain was so funny. He was also lovely and caring. Cuddly too, even though his cuddles were very warm and Toshiro liked it cold. His dragon liked it cold too, which was nice.

There was a sigh, and a harsh hand on his shoulder, steering him through the streets.

“Quit your babbling, Boy,” Sasakibe muttered.

“Have I been babbling?” Toshiro asked.

“Yes.”

“About what?”

“About your captain.”

“Oh I love my captain,” Toshiro told him, the thought of Isshin grinning proudly at him made him happy, so the boy started skipping. That’s what Souls did when they were happy right?

“Stop skipping, Boy,” Sasakibe’s irritated voice snapped, and Toshiro stopped immediately, shoulders slouching and head hung.

He was in trouble.

“You’re not in trouble,” Sasakibe told him, tone annoyed.

Did Toshiro say that out loud?

“Yes,” Sasakibe sighed in exasperation. “Yes, for the love of gods, yes. Now shut up.”

So Toshiro shut up, or at least he thought he did? It was hard to tell these days.

Around him, the streets curved but Toshiro felt his feet go straight, and they passed Soul Reapers in the street who looked at him with eyes as big as bugs. Suddenly they each had three little horns protruding from their foreheads, just like Akon at Squad Twelve.

Squad Twelve? Toshiro shivered, reminding himself to never go there. It gave him the creeps. He was glad to have never met the captain.

“Oh for goodness sake,” Sasakibe muttered, and Toshiro flinched, startled.

How long had the Squad One lieutenant been following him? That seemed suspicious.

“It’s not suspicious!” Sasakibe spluttered. “I was ordered to get you safely- ugh, never mind. You, Boy, are a pain in the ass.”

Toshiro pouted. He would have cried, but a duck waddling past caught his attention.

“Look, a duck!” he pointed to it. Now the duck looked suspicious, with its beady eyes and what not.

“That’s a leaf,” Sasakibe sighed without even glancing back at it, and Toshiro sighed deeply. He wished it had been a duck, even a suspicious one.

His legs felt tired and his head hurt but Sasakibe made him continue to walk. Toshiro asked if he could have a nap, but was promptly denied. If Isshin had been here he would have said yes. He would have carried Toshiro too. He was a good dad.

“Finally,” Sasakibe groaned and suddenly Toshiro was whipped around to face the silver-haired man.

“There’s the Sixth,” Sasakibe pointed to the gates they had stopped in front of. “Drop off your paperwork and then all you have to do is walk across this path to the Tenth.”

He pointed at the building opposite the gates.

“Hey,” Toshiro smiled, recognising those tall timber fences with their daffodil carvings. “That’s where I live!”

“Yes, it’s the Tenth, I just said that,” Sasakibe snapped, causing Toshiro to flinch back.

The lieutenant sighed and crouched to Toshiro’s height. The boy stared at his moustache, it was furry and wiggled like a caterpillar. When Toshiro squinted at it, he thought he could see eyes on it, and a million little legs. He hoped one day it would become a pretty butterfly – Toshiro liked butterflies.

“Look, Boy, I apologise for getting mad. You’ve been drugged, it’s not your fault,” Sasakibe shook his head. Toshiro frowned; he had been drugged? When? “Just drop your paperwork at the Sixth, and I will let your captain know you’re here. He will come get you, so just wait there.”

“Wait where?”

“In the Sixth,” Sasakibe repeated like he was stupid.

“And then go home to the Tenth?” Toshiro clarified, remembering now.

“Yes. I mean no!” Sasakibe answered quickly. “No, your captain will come get you.”

Toshiro grinned at the mention of Isshin, and poked the lieutenant’s thin moustache, only to have his hand slapped away.

“I love my captain,” he smiled and Sasakibe’s eyes rolled so far back into his head that they never came back out.

“Yeah we all love our captains,” the lieutenant grumbled and stood, pushing Toshiro towards the gates beside them. “Now go.”

Toshiro stumbled forward before he collected himself. He walked slowly through the division, clutching the paperwork close to his chest and protecting it from all the figures of seaweed that stared at him as he passed, their eyes blinking at him.

“Are you alright, Kid?” a seaweed man appeared in front of Toshiro. He had long red hair and tattoos over his seaweed body. He looked familiar, but Toshiro couldn’t place him. “You look lost, and your head is bleeding.”

“For Captain Kuchiki,” Toshiro announced, holding out his paperwork. Was it Captain Kuchiki that ran the Sixth? Toshiro wasn’t sure if he was remembering that right.

“This way,” the seaweed man sighed and Toshiro followed him until they reached a large grand office in which a tea pot danced with a candle stick holder on the coffee table. Toshiro stared at it.

“That’s unusual,” he commented.

“Who is this, Abarai?” a new voice called, deep and silky.

Toshiro’s eyes pulled themselves away from the dancing objects and towards the voice. In front of him, a prince stood. At least he looked like a prince, with long shiny black hair, a fancy hair piece and scarf around his neck that sparkled with the light of a thousand diamonds.

“Woah so pretty,” Toshiro murmured reaching up to touch the scarf. He gasped; it felt like touching Rangiku’s hands. “So soft!”

The prince smacked his hand off his scarf and threw it over his shoulder behind him. He looked mad, so Toshiro pouted and looked down, mumbling an apology.

“I think this is Rangiku’s kid,” the seaweed man, (Lieutenant Renji Abarai?) explained. “Third seat at the Tenth. He has paperwork for us.”

Oh yes, that’s right! Toshiro thrust the paperwork in hands up at the prince, who he supposed looked a lot like Captain Kuchiki.

The paperwork was taken from his hands.

“It’s crumpled,” the prince stated, unimpressed.

“The spider did it,” Toshiro murmured sadly, remembering vaguely being chased by an arachnid captain and his syringe. “He tried to cut me open to see my organs.”

“Well that’s a horrifying image,” Seaweed Renji commented, a nervous chuckle in his throat. “Sounds a bit like Captain Kurotsuchi.”

Toshiro flinched and whimpered, the mention of the name causing him to see images of a scalpel, dead insects and a shrivelled head. He thought he could hear screaming too.

“Woah kid, calm down,” Renji stared down at him with confusion and worry. “I was just joking. He’s creepy, that’s all I meant-”

“Abarai,” the prince, Captain Kuchiki, warned.

The seaweed version of Renji stopped talking and Toshiro hugged his arms around himself. He wanted Isshin, he wanted to go home. Around him, the air grew cold like it did when Toshiro was anxious. He blinked his eyes, trying to shake the image of the spider chasing him, of the white hot fluff ball and his burning cane, of the people with horns on their faces and the duck that waddled by, its eyes saying it was up to no good. Toshiro flinched and shivered – he wanted one of Isshin’s warm hugs now, or Rangiku’s. Either – both – he didn’t mind. He just wanted to go home.

Suddenly that soft-looking scarf made of diamonds was in his field of vision.

Toshiro’s eyes snapped to the prince that was crouching before him.

“I don’t like kids,” Captain Kuchiki told him, matter-of-factly. “There’s an annoying little one at the Eleventh that drives me mad. However, you remind me of my little sister. She’s an ice type too, and when she’s scared, the room she is in gets cold.”

Toshiro swallowed, knowing he had made the captain’s office cold now too.

“I’m sorry,” he apologised, because he knew most Souls didn’t like the cold.

“My lieutenant will walk you back to the Tenth,” the captain told him, standing with a sigh.

Toshiro nodded and bowed, this time without falling thankfully, before the seaweed Renji followed him out. They almost made it to the gates when another seaweed man came running up to them, appearing rather distressed.

“Lieutenant!” the seaweed man, one of the squad members perhaps, called. “Students at the Academy are throwing rocks over our fence. They’ve broken a window at our training halls.”

Renji swore loudly, causing Toshiro to frown. Well, that wasn’t a very nice word.

“Wait here, Kid,” Renji ordered Toshiro. “I have to take care of something and then I will come back to take you home.”

Toshiro nodded and watched the seaweed men run off together. Glancing around the barracks, seaweed men were everywhere. Some of them might have been women, Toshiro supposed, but the deep green seaweed covering their bodies made them all look masculine.

“What are you doing here, Kid?” a different seaweed man grunted, passing him from behind and knocking Toshiro’s shoulder as he walked. “Go home, Boy.”

“Okay, Mr Seaweed,” Toshiro called after the man, waving before he continued walking out the gates.

His mind was extremely muddled, and finally as he exited back through the gates, the Soul Reapers in the streets started to look less like seaweed and more like cats. It was weird seeing cats walking around on two feet, wearing uniforms – some even had swords at their hips! Toshiro laughed loudly; this was weird, though not the weirdest thing he had seen today.

Where was he going again?

Home?

Yes, Toshiro wanted to go ho-

Butterfly!

A butterfly with the most beautiful blue wings fluttered by Toshiro’s vision and the boy made to catch it but missed, falling on his face in the dirt. Groaning, the third seat lifted his head, seeing the butterfly fly around the corner of the street.

“Wait!” he called, jumping to his feet and rushing after the flying insect. It was so pretty!

* * *

Isshin had given up on the paperwork a long time ago, and joined Rangiku on the office couches for an afternoon nap.

He had just fallen asleep when a knock on the door woke him back up, but the captain didn’t bother opening his eyes or moving, knowing it was one of the seated officers, who would retreat once they saw their squad leaders sleeping.

The sound of the door sliding open was quiet but noticeable, but Isshin was right.

“I’m sorry, Lieutenant,” Mei’s voice was whispered. “Our captain is sleeping now. Would you like to leave a message?”

“No,” a deep male voice replied and Isshin recognised it to be Chojiro Sasakibe from the First. “Captain Shiba must be woken. He will find this to be urgent and important.”

Isshin internalised the groan – everything with Sasakibe was ‘urgent’ or ‘important’, and frequently both, such as now.

Sighing, the captain cracked open his eyelids.

“I’m awake,” he grunted, sitting up on the couch. “Thanks Mei.”

“Sorry, Captain,” Mei bowed and left.

On the opposite couch, Rangiku stirred too.

“Timesit?” she muttered, barely coherent as she lifted her head in disoriented confusion.

“Sasakibe is here,” Isshin informed her with a sigh, gesturing to the Squad One Lieutenant. “He has an urgent and important message?”

“Is that all?” Rangiku rolled her eyes and laid back down with a huff. “It’s always urgent and important with that dude.”

“That ‘dude’,” Sasakibe huffed, tone annoyed, “has a message regarding your third seat.”

“Toshiro?” Isshin blinked.

“It seems he has had an unfortunate run in with Captain Kurotsuchi at the Twelfth,” Sasakibe informed Isshin tonelessly. “The Head Captain suspects he was drugged for an experiment of sorts.”

Isshin’s jaw dropped and his eyes went wide with shock.

“What?!”

That evil son of a bi-

“What happened exactly?” Rangiku asked, sitting up on her couch, concern in her voice.

Sasakibe told them the story of how he and the Head Captain had found Kurotsuchi holding Toshiro up by his ankle on the streets of the Seireitei while the Squad One leaders were off to visit the Thirteenth. Toshiro told them Kurotsuchi had been trying to cut him open. Apparently the scientist captain had been threating Toshiro with a syringe, but it was clear the boy had already been drugged with some kind of hallucinogenic.

Isshin listened to the story, feeling his emotions flair with worry for his kid third seat, and with anger for the vile Squad Twelve captain.

“The Head Captain didn’t want you to cause a – quote – ‘rampage over this’,” Sasakibe commented when Isshin’s emotions flared into his Spiritual Pressure.

Oh there was going to be a rampage that was for sure. Isshin had a higher priority first, however.

“Where is Toshiro now?” Isshin asked, getting to his feet. “Is he okay?”

“I left him at the Sixth next door,” Sasakibe answered. “I told him to wait there after he dropped his paperwork off. He’s expecting you to pick him up. Well, if he can remember that much, anyway.”

Isshin grabbed Engetsu and ran from the office, Rangiku following closely. Sasakibe didn’t follow but Isshin didn’t think he would. They navigated out of the Squad Ten barracks and into their neighbour’s – Squad Six.

Without knocking, Isshin barged right into the captain’s office, which earned him a sharp glare from Byakuya Kuchiki.

“What is the meaning of this?” the Kuchiki noble hissed.

“Where’s my kid?” Isshin asked urgently, glancing around the office, finding it empty aside from the Squad Six Captain.

“The boy?” Byakuya questioned. “I sent my lieutenant to walk him back to the Tenth.”

“He didn’t see him or Renji,” Rangiku frowned as Isshin did.

At that Byakuya frowned too, mildly confused.

Toshiro was lost then. Isshin felt a sickening feeling form in his stomach.

Focusing, Isshin felt for his third seat’s spiritual pressure and came up empty, which meant one of two things. The boy was either out of range, or dead.

Isshin’s heart stopped for a moment – he prayed it was the former.

He felt for Renji’s spiritual pressure next, and though it wasn’t as familiar, it was much closer by and therefore easy to find. He was just outside the office.

“Abarai,” Byakuya called out for his lieutenant, seemingly sensing his approach too.

Renji stuck his head in the door, his tattooed brow furrowing.

“Captain, we have a prob- oh,” Renji’s question was cut off when his eyes fell on the others in the room.

“Abarai,” Byakuya huffed impatiently. “Where is the child you were supposed to take back to the Tenth?”

Renji hesitated, stepping inside the room and bowing briefly to Isshin and then his own captain.

“I can’t find him,” the lieutenant admitted hesitantly. “I left him near the gate and asked him to wait there.”

“You left him?” Isshin spluttered. “He’s been drugged!”

Apparently neither Byakuya nor Renji had known that – they didn’t know Toshiro well enough, they had just thought he was weird, and maybe a little concussed.

Isshin explained the Kurotsuchi story quickly, and then turned on Renji for his explanation.

The tattooed lieutenant went on to explain that some students at the neighbouring Spiritual Arts Academy were throwing rocks over the bordering fence and had broken a window on Squad Six property, so Renji had gone to sort it out. He had returned to the gates to find Toshiro gone.

“Have you checked with the guards?” Byakuya asked then, tone angry. He didn’t like to look bad in front of his colleagues.

“They said they saw a kid chasing a butterfly, heading north,” Renji sighed, knowing he was in trouble.

Isshin deflated. The Sixth and Tenth were the southmost divisions within the Seireitei’s circular borders – ‘north’ was the opposite direction to the gates into the Tenth. Toshiro had been so close, since the gates to the Sixth sat almost opposite those to the Tenth, but a drugged and hallucinating Toshiro had wandered off, distracted by a bloody butterfly. By now, the kid could be anywhere. The Seireitei was huge, and if he reacted as badly to Kurotsuchi’s drugs as he had to Unohana’s anaesthetics back when he had been injured, then he could be in real danger now.

Isshin had to find him.

“Alright we’re going to split up and look for him,” Isshin turned to Rangiku. “Have you got your Soul phone?”

Rangiku nodded, patting her pocket.

“I’ll go west, you go east,” Isshin ordered his lieutenant. “I’ll call my brother and tell him to keep an eye out at the Thirteenth in case Toshiro makes it that far north. We’ll make our way around and up, keep feeling for his spiritual pressure.”

“Yes, Sir,” Rangiku nodded, before she frowned. “You don’t think Kurotsuchi is out there looking for Toshiro too, do you?”

“If he is, I’ll kill him,” Isshin spat, turning sharply towards the office door, his chest tightening with new unease.

“We’ll let you know if the boy turns up back in here,” Byakuya informed them as Rangiku moved to follow Isshin. Isshin nodded, though he really just wanted to yell at him for losing Toshiro in the first place.

He just wished he knew where the boy was.

* * *

Toshiro followed the butterfly through the streets, the beautiful blue wings just too fast and agile for him to catch. He chased it through the busy Seireitei streets and through divisions. He had a brief encounter with Gin Ichimaru, in which he saw a snake in a captain’s uniform but that wasn’t unusual. Toshiro kicked his snake body (might have been a shin) and ran away, remembering all the times that man he had made Rangiku cry.

Around him, Soul Reapers in the streets and throughout the divisions he stumbled into were getting stranger and stranger to look at. Toshiro was even pretty sure he had seen a captain with a dog’s head? He saw Soul Reapers that looked like mermaids, others that looked like aliens, and worst of all, some that looked like human-sized Gillians. That had really freaked Toshiro out, even more so when he saw more suspicious ducks waddling by.

He was growing tired with each minute, exhausted in both mind and body. He just wanted to catch this butterfly and get home.

He was so close!

Eventually Toshiro did catch the butterfly, cheering triumphantly as he did so. Grinning, he opened his hands to look it, and found a glowing blue marble, and was that symbol of the Twelfth imprinted on it?

Toshiro frowned down at it. Where was the butterfly?

“I knew I could get you back here,” a shrill cackle caught his attention and Toshiro’s eyes snapped up to see Captain Kurotsuchi before him. “They said my invention wouldn’t work, but here you are.”

He still looked like a spider, with eight legs and eight eyes, but it was undeniably him. He was still terrifying to look out.

Toshiro took a cautious step back.

“Now don’t run from me, Boy,” Kurotsuchi smiled menacingly. “We weren’t finished this morning.”

“Hello Mayuri,” a new voice called, one that was deep and masculine, playful and familiar. “I see you’ve met Isshin’s young third seat?”

Toshiro turned to see Captain Kyoraku approaching, but instead of his normal floral kimono draped over his shoulders, the curly haired captain was wearing a pink tutu that shimmering brightly. He had wings and carried his wand in a belt around his waist. He looked like a fairy, and he looked ridiculous, but Toshiro liked Kyoraku, though he was a drunk and a lazy captain. He was Isshin’s good friend, and once Rangiku’s captain. They both spoke highly of the man, and though he made lots of inappropriate jokes that Isshin had to cover Toshiro’s ears for, he seemed kind and caring, with a strong moral compass.

“Yes, Captain Kyoraku,” Kurotsuchi smiled then, the same way he had at the Head Captain when confronted earlier that day. “We were just about to have some afternoon tea.”

“Oh?” Kyoraku queried, approaching them. His hand fell on Toshiro’s shoulder when he was close enough, and the boy felt himself being pulled closer to the fairy captain. “I believe Toshiro was invited to tea at the Thirteenth today. Isn’t that right, Shiro-chan?”

Well, it might have been. Toshiro honestly didn’t know anymore, but tea at the Thirteenth sounded much nicer than tea at the Twelfth. After a moment, Toshiro nodded and Kyoraku grinned down at him.

“That’s right, yes,” Kyoraku hummed. “So we best be on our way. We’re already late.”

The curly haired captain didn’t wait for a response, squeezing Toshiro’s shoulder and steering him away from the Twelfth.

Toshiro sure felt like he was getting led all over the place today.

“Are you my fairy godmother?” Toshiro asked, remembering the human fairy tale book Isshin had once read to him, as the captain laughed.

“What a strange question,” Kyoraku chuckled. “I can be if you want me to be.”

“Well you are dressed for it,” Toshiro murmured, before he finally managed to pull his eyes away from the tutu and back down to the marble in his hand.

“What have you got there, Kid?” Kyoraku asked and Toshiro held it up to him.

“It used to be a butterfly,” Toshiro told him, as Kyoraku took it from him and inspected it closely. Those deep brown eyes that reminded Toshiro a little of Isshin flickered back down to him, regarding him for a moment.

“What happened to your head?” Kyoraku asked then.

Toshiro frowned and felt his head. It was sticky and sore to touch, and he flinched back from his own hand. Pulling back his fingers, Toshiro found them to be dirty with traces of blood on them. He remembered vaguely seeing blood on them a few hours ago, from touching the same spot on his head if he recalled correctly.

“Can’t remember,” Toshiro answered.

“Where is your captain today?” Kyoraku asked then, and Toshiro recognised the gates of the Thirteenth as they approached them.

Toshiro shrugged.

“I don’t know,” he murmured sadly, swallowing thickly. “I miss him.”

Kyoraku pattered his shoulder. “We’ll give him a call, make sure he comes to get you.”

Toshiro nodded down at his shoes as they entered the Thirteenth and navigated the halls.

He was so tired, and he felt his emotions starting to rise as a result. He just wanted Isshin, or Rangiku. He wanted to go home. He was sick of his head hurting, and of seeing things that weren’t really there. He was sick of thinking something in his head to find he had said it out loud.

“Jeez, rough day then,” Kyoraku commented dryly and Toshiro deflated, realising he had done it again.

“I just want to go home,” he said thickly.

“We’ll get you there, Kid,” Kyoraku murmured as he steered Toshiro into a warm room. “Sorry, I’m late everyone!”

Toshiro looked up and glanced around the room. He had been here before, the Squad Thirteen Captain’s Office. The fireplace was alive with dancing flames, while two older men sat in arm chairs around it, though one was far more elderly than the other. One looked like the large fluff ball Toshiro had run into this morning, and the other was a squishy looking marshmallow.

Despite how they looked through his eyes, Toshiro recognised them instantly as the Head Captain and Captain Ukitake.

“Shiro-chan,” Ukitake greeted him with a huge smile. “It’s such an unexpected pleasure to see you today.”

He stood from his chair and approached Toshiro, wrapping him in a big squishy hug as Kyoraku let him go. Toshiro wasn’t usually one for hugs from people that weren’t Mari, Rangiku or Isshin but today he needed one, and Ukitake was a lovely man who smelled like soap and lilies, so Toshiro hugged him back, burying his face in the man’s marshmallow haori.

“Yes I invited him to our afternoon tea,” Kyoraku told them. “Kurotsuchi wanted him too but I decided he was better off in our company.”

Around Toshiro, Ukitake stilled.

“Kurotsuchi again?” the Head Captain asked, a hardness to his voice.

“Again?” Kyoraku asked, voice perplexed.

“Not the boy’s first run in with him today,” the Head Captain replied with a sigh. “I see Sasakibe failed in getting you back to the Tenth then, Boy?”

Toshiro nodded into Ukitake’s shoulder.

Ukitake released Toshiro then, his worried eyes going to Toshiro’s bloodied forehead.

“I will call Kaien to take a look at that,” Ukitake murmured, sweeping back towards his desk.

Over by the fire place, Kyoraku had settled in a vacated chair and taken up a cup of tea. He took a sip before he handed the Head Captain the glowing blue marble.

“It used to be a butterfly,” he murmured dryly, repeating Toshiro’s earlier words, as the Head Captain inspected it, a sagging eyebrow lifting enough for him to see it.

Toshiro stood in the centre of the room, feeling lost.

As nice as the older captains were, and as worried as Toshiro was that he might stumble across Kurotsuchi again, the boy wanted nothing more than to get back to the Tenth. He wanted Isshin and Rangiku.

“There you are!” another familiar voice called and Toshiro turned to find himself scooped up by strong arms and a familiar head of ebony hair.

“Captain!” Toshiro gasped, but when his focused, he realised quickly he had the wrong Shiba.

“Sorry, Kid,” Kaien grimaced. Now _he_ looked like a mermaid, though how he was standing up with that tail, Toshiro wasn’t sure. “Just your Uncle Kaien with you.”

Toshiro tried not to look too disappointed and rested his head on Kaien’s shoulder. He wasn’t Isshin but he was a close second, and he would get him home sooner or later. Still, Toshiro wanted Isshin. He was so tired and starting to become emotional. He just wanted to go home. It’s all he had wanted all day. Well, aside from when he had wanted that butterfly.

He felt a warm tingling on his forehead and clocked the green light of healing kido in his peripheral vision.

“Your captain is out looking for you,” Kaien told Toshiro calmly. “He’s been looking for you all afternoon, he’s so worried.”

“I just want my dad,” Toshiro murmured quietly then, feeling his eyes fill with tears that he hid in Kaien’s neck. The younger Shiba sighed and patted his back gently, murmuring that Isshin would get here soon.

Toshiro stayed quiet then, letting Kaien hold him. After today, he didn’t care who saw this display of affection. Kaien was like his uncle, and the closest thing Toshiro had to family in the room. He could feel his Spiritual Pressure too, and it was similar to Toshiro’s in many ways. Water was just melted ice, was it not? It was calm and soothing, and Toshiro sighed against the lieutenant’s shoulder, letting it settle him.

He felt his eyes droop, as a warm, wet cloth dragged over his face, wiping away the dirt and tears.

* * *

Isshin had been through almost every division on his check list when he finally came face to face with the Squad Twelve gates. Evil lingered in those hallways – Isshin could sense Kurotsuchi in there. He couldn’t sense Toshiro, but he had half a mind to run in there, kill the scientist captain and then resume his search.

In fact he had taken one step forward to do so when his Soul Phone rang.

Isshin fished out of his haori quickly, since it was likely in regards to his missing third seat. The office number for the Thirteenth flashed on the screen and Isshin accepted the call quickly.

“Is he there?”

Isshin’s friend Jushiro Ukitake was the one to reply, not Kaien.

“Toshiro is here, yes,” Ukitake’s voice was calm as it always was, especially when he was trying to keep others calm. “We’re looking after him, but he only wants you.”

Isshin eyed up the Squad Twelve gates – the temptation was real, but the captain knew where he really needed to be right now.

“I’m on my way,” he murmured into the phone before hanging up.

With one last glance at the Twelfth, Isshin turned sharply and headed for the Thirteenth, calling Rangiku to update her too.

He arrived at the Thirteenth fairly quickly and burst into the Captain’s Office, to find a tea party of sorts going on around the fire place.

Yamamoto, Kyoraku and Ukitake sat together sipping on tea and eating biscuits, while Kaien stood by his captain, holding a sleeping Toshiro.

Isshin rushed forward to his brother, eyes locked on Toshiro.

“My boy…” he murmured to sleeping child, though he knew he couldn’t hear him, his hand already carding through the boy’s hair. “What happened?”

“He fell asleep a few minutes ago,” Kaien sighed, handing Toshiro over and Isshin took him gently, holding him against his side as the boy fell limply against him. “He was exhausted.”

Kaien smiled sadly at Toshiro before he stepped away, turning back to his captain and draping a blanket over the sickly man’s legs.

Isshin tilted his head to rest his cheek on Toshiro’s snowy crown, as he swallowed and willed his arms to stop shaking. He was glad the boy was safe and uninjured, and so utterly relieved to find him in the hands of his brother, but anger still pulsed through him.

“I’m going to kill that Kurotsuchi,” he muttered, forgetting the company in the room for a moment.

“You will not, Isshin,” Yamamoto’s ancient voice responded sternly from beside the fire. “I have warned you about your temper before.”

Isshin was thankful the commander couldn’t see his eyes rolling – _one time!_ One time, decades ago and way before Toshiro, when Zaraki had first become Captain and he and Isshin had had a rather violent row over an issue with their shared fence and had accidentally ended up destroying many of the buildings in their respective barracks over it.

Of course, there was the other, more recent issue, of when Isshin had punched Gin Ichimaru in the face, but he stood by that one. The snake deserved it for what he had done to Rangiku.

“He can’t hurt my kid and get away with it,” Isshin muttered, turning to the senior captains having their tea party, seemingly unconcerned that a little boy had just been drugged by a mad scientist.

Isshin noted their expressions as the regarded him holding the sleeping child – Yamamoto looked pensive, though vaguely disapproving, while Kyoraku smirked with some sort of amusement and Ukitake beamed up happily, his smile soft.

“I’ll throw him back in the Maggots’ Nest for a few weeks,” Yamamoto offered eventually, before he picked up a biscuit from the plate. “That always straightens him out for a couple years.”

Isshin sighed – that was hardly good enough for him. If he had it his way, the man would be dead, or at least exiled like his former captain. Alas, Yamamoto kept him around because he came up with a number of nifty inventions that kept Soul Reaper’s ahead of the times, the Soul Phone being the most notable to date.

Eventually, with much convincing, Kyoraku got Isshin to join their tea party, and Isshin sat in an empty chair, manoeuvring the sleeping Toshiro into his lap. Kaien offered him a blanket but Isshin knocked back the offer, knowing that Toshiro would be plenty warm in his hold, especially with the Head Captain close by and the raging fire place going. The boy would only overheat with a blanket now.

Between Kyoraku and Yamamoto, they filled him in on some of the gaps between Sasakibe’s story and Byakuya’s, though only Toshiro would be able to explain what actually happened in the Twelfth that morning. Yamamoto showed Isshin a glowing blue marble that the Squad Ten recognised to be the Soul attracting device that the Twelfth had been working on. Supposedly, it was going to be used in the Living World to make Souls come to Soul Reapers instead of the other way around, saving the patrolling officer from needing to search out Souls. It worked like drawing a moth to a light source; Toshiro had apparently chased a butterfly back to the Twelfth over it.

Isshin sighed and tightened his hold around the boy.

Soon Rangiku turned up and kneeled by Isshin’s chair, fussing over Toshiro. Soon Kaien joined the tea party too, and not long after that Miyako joined them as well.

They sat having their tea party, chatting and joking, though Isshin’s thoughts were only with Toshiro.

Toshiro eventually woke, and hugged Isshin so tightly, the Squad Ten Captain thought he might have bruises. Still, it was worth it to see the boy smile.

He couldn’t remember much it seemed, but he was glad to see that Kyoraku was ‘no longer wearing a tutu’. The room laughed, and Isshin fed Toshiro biscuits and tea (though the boy had hesitated on the tea, which was an unusual).

Isshin hugged Toshiro close as the boy chuckled at Rangiku’s antics and Kyoraku’s jokes, and across the coffee table, Kaien smirked at Isshin, mouthing the word ‘Dad’.

Isshin rolled his eyes, hiding his grin in Toshiro’s hair. Yes, he was a dad alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTEEEEE: So I’ve been posting twice a week but it’s getting hard to keep up with writing (I blame work!). I am going to drop down to once a week posting from now – so Sundays will be the day new chapters will go up! Thank you to everyone following as I update! I appreciate you all so much :)
> 
> See you next Sunday for a request for LethanWolf!


	20. Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toshiro doesn't have any friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a request for my real life bestie, LethanWolf! She LOVES Rukia and loved chapter 16.  
> Request: Toshiro asking Rangiku for help with his friendship with Rukia.
> 
> Btw, Isshin is taking the day off. He’s earned it xD

“Lieutenant?”

“Yeah?”

“How do… How do you make friends so easily?”

Rangiku snorted from her reclined position on the office couch.

“Everyone is friends after a couple of shared sakes, Toshiro,” the lieutenant chuckled, even though she knew the boy probably wouldn’t understand the concept of drunken socialising.

It was another cold and boring late-winter afternoon in the Seireitei but the office was kept warm with a fire lit by their captain’s Engetsu. Isshin was out for the afternoon, allowing Rangiku to laze on the couch in front of the toasty fire undisturbed (since she could hardly go enjoy the sun right now) while Toshiro sat by his desk at the window completing paperwork. She heard him sigh every so often, and without even opening her eyes Rangiku knew the young third seat was gazing out the window over the snowy training grounds. She would have believed he wanted to be out there playing in the snow, but Toshiro had just had two days off work and had spent the whole time trying to come back into the office.

“But,” the boy sounded confused, “but what about when you’re not drinking?”

Rangiku made to laugh again - she was rarely not drinking in social situations.

“I don’t know,” she smirked. “I guess I am beautiful and funny, so Souls are naturally drawn to me.”

She smirked wider, feeling Toshiro’s eye roll and hearing the huff that followed.

Something was bothering the kid, but apparently he wasn’t going to just spit it out on his own.

“What’s up, Toshiro?” Rangiku sighed then and lifted her head, opening her eyes.

Over the back of the couch, she could just see the top of his white spikes that were far softer than they looked.

Toshiro said nothing, and Rangiku heard the shuffling of some papers.

Sighing again, the lieutenant sat up properly to see the boy. Toshiro stared down at his papers, flicking through them aimlessly, his eyes unfocused as he thought to himself.

“Well you know how I had to take those two days off?” Toshiro started and Rangiku nodded.

“Yes, you tried to sneak out paperwork,” Rangiku shot him a pointed and disapproving look.

Last week, Isshin had realised that Toshiro had never taken his compulsory holiday days last year and decided the boy needed a break from constant working. He had sentenced Toshiro to two whole days off work.

The way Toshiro had reacted, one might have thought he’d been punished.

Rangiku would have killed for those days off, but alas she had used her all holidays up and they weren’t allowed to trade days between them.

While Isshin and Rangiku had worked, Toshiro had milled around the barracks, spending some time in the snow, but it was clear the kid had wanted to return to work, hence trying to sneak in some paperwork time.

“Well I was bored,” Toshiro huffed, defensive already as he looked up to glare at her.

Touchy subject, apparently.

Rangiku threw her hands up in surrender, chuckling at how easily wound up the boy was.

“I just-” Toshiro swallowed, eyes cast back down on the paperwork and flicking the edges gently. “I think I was bored because I don’t have any…”

Toshiro trailed off, mumbling the rest too quiet for Rangiku to hear.

“You don’t have any what?”

Toshiro’s eyes flickered up to her and away again, and Rangiku noticed the light blush on his cheeks.

“I don’t have any friends,” Toshiro repeated, clearer but not much louder. Still Rangiku heard it and the lieutenant frowned.

“You have friends,” Rangiku argued. “You have… um... “

No friends. The kid had no friends.

He had family in Isshin and Rangiku, and the rest of the Shiba clan. He had his colleagues, who again more or less came under the family banner. He didn’t have friends, certainly none in his age bracket.

Rangiku hummed in realisation, understanding now.

Toshiro didn’t have any friends his age, or close enough to it.

He had been given two days off but had nothing to do and no one to hang out with. If it had been Rangiku, she would have run off to another division to corrupt her lieutenant friends into skipping work too, or she would have gone day drinking, or at the very least lounged around her quarters.

Toshiro didn’t have quarters; he had a bunk in a shared dormitory. He didn’t have friends either and he was too young to drink. It was no wonder he got bored, and now obvious why he hadn’t wanted to take those days off in the first place.

“Well what about Yachiru?” Rangiku suggested then. “I’ve seen you talk to her many times.”

Rangiku had often spied them outside when she had been in the training grounds. Toshiro and the pink haired lieutenant next door would climb up on the shared fence between the Squad Ten and Squad Eleven barracks and sit up there eating sweets together. It had been so sweet the first time Rangiku had spotted them, she had snapped a picture on her Soul Phone and rushed back to show Isshin.

Toshiro rolled his eyes.

“I just give her the candy Captain Ukitake gives me so she won’t let her men destroy our fence anymore,” Toshiro explained.

Rangiku frowned at that, realising then that it had been years since that shared fence had come down. Before then, the brutes at the Eleventh were knocking it down or blowing it apart every other week.

“Lieutenant Kusajishi decides who she will spend her time with and when,” Toshiro sighed, “and right now her obsession is with Captain Kuchiki.”

Rangiku chuckled at that, having heard many stories of the Gotei Thirteen’s youngest lieutenant running amuck at one of the noblest captain’s family manor. Of course, that’s where they now held their SWA meetings thanks to the pink haired girl.

“Well what about Rukia?” Rangiku suggested then, reminded of the other Kuchiki she had heard of, “Captain says you two had a wonderful afternoon together at the Thirteenth last month?”

Oh Isshin had said much more than that. Rangiku had just about died and reincarnated when she returned from her own holiday to find out her little third seat had a crush on the young noblewoman. She had teased Toshiro relentlessly about it, always driving him to a heavy shade of red and a childish tantrum as he stormed away, but now Rangiku was being serious.

It seemed Toshiro was too, the boy not going the typical scarlet shade when Rangiku brought up the girl’s name.

“I haven’t seen her since then,” he shrugged. “I don’t think she would call us friends.”

“Well why don’t you go see her?”

“What?” Toshiro looked suddenly alarmed. “Just go ask her to be friends?”

“Well not like that,” Rangiku rolled her eyes, though she supposed kids could ask other kids to be friends and it wasn’t strange – it wasn’t socially awkward like it was for adults. “Why don’t you go visit her after work today and see if she wants to hang out?”

Toshiro looked even more alarmed at that and Rangiku couldn’t help but chuckle. She knew Toshiro was a shy kid; he always had been, especially around strangers or Souls he wasn’t yet comfortable around. It did not surprise her in the slightest that he would be nervous about going to see Rukia.

“Come on, Toshiro,” Rangiku drawled playfully. “I will come with you, if you like.”

“Really?” Toshiro asked timidly, his eyes on Rangiku and filled with uncertainty.

“Of course,” Rangiku smiled at the boy. “I was going to have to go see Kaien about a Lieutenants’ meeting item anyway.”

Well that was a lie, but if Kaien was there she would say hello and catch up with him to give the kids some space.

“Well, if you’re going over anyway,” Toshiro seemed to relent as Rangiku bit back a smirk. “I guess there is no harm in seeing if Rukia is around.”

Rangiku nodded quickly, not wanting to discourage the boy in any way.

Toshiro seemed to agree with a casual shrug before he turned back to his paperwork, seemingly more focused now.

Rangiku laid back on the couch, letting her grin come back in full now that the boy couldn’t see her.

Oh yes, her day had just gotten way more interesting.

* * *

The last few hours of the working day flew by as Rangiku napped on and off in front of the fire. Her cat naps were only disrupted when Toshiro spoke, which hadn’t been often but each time it was him trying to back out of going to the Thirteenth later.

“She’s probably going to be busy,” Toshiro had argued.

“Not at that time of the day,” Rangiku waved him off.

“What about her noble responsibilities?”

Rangiku had snorted at that. She was pretty sure Rukia’s only responsibilities as a noblewoman was to walk two steps behind her brother and bow to the other noble men. It couldn’t have been much fun – the girl could probably use the break.

“We’re just going to go say hello,” Rangiku reminded Toshiro. “If she’s busy we can reschedule.”

“What if she doesn’t want to reschedule?” Toshiro asked, his voice sounding sulky over the couch.

“Well then she’s not worth your friendship, okay?” Rangiku sighed.

Honestly, it was like trying to hook her girl friends up with guys.

Finally the end of the day rolled around, and Isshin hadn’t returned from his afternoon meeting yet.

As soon as the clocked ticked over, Rangiku was jumping up from the couch and stretching out her back.

“Let’s go!”

Toshiro had to be dragged away from his desk but once she got him out of the office, he became much more cooperative, albeit slow in his pace.

“Should I bring her something?” Toshiro asked as they walked out of the division gates, the path icy but thankfully not slippery.

“Like what?”

“I don’t know,” Toshiro shrugged. “Like a gift?” What do girls like?”

“Flowers, jewellery,” Rangiku sighed, before she shrugged, _“money.”_

Toshiro’s little frown was too much and Rangiku giggled to herself.

“Relax, Toshiro,” she nudged him. “You don’t need to bring her anything.”

Toshiro didn’t seem settled however, and appeared to mull over it quietly as they continued their journey to the Thirteen in the north of the Seireitei.

Eventually they reached the gates and a helpful soldier pointed them in the direction of the training grounds when Rangiku had asked for Kaien.

They navigated to the back of the barracks where Squad Thirteen’s training grounds stretched up to the Northern wall and wrapped around a large pond.

They spotted Kaien easily, his tall and lean stature with Shiba black hair was familiar. A young girl was with him, her hair just as dark but her frame much more petite. They were finishing up training and appeared to be heading back towards the division buildings. By the way Toshiro paused nervously in his steps, Rangiku didn’t have to guess who the girl was.

“Is that her?” Rangiku asked quietly, her eyes going wide with excitement. “She’s so pretty!”

Toshiro shushed her in record speed, just as Kaien and Rukia got close enough to hear them.

“Rangiku and Toshiro,” Kaien greeted with a friendly smile. “This is a pleasant surprise.”

Kaien reached over to ruffle Toshiro’s hair as the boy tried not to look too embarrassed by it.

“What brings you both here?” Kaien asked, chuckling as Toshiro seemed to slip out of his grasp.

Rangiku looked at Toshiro to answer but the boy had gone bright red and shy. If he had been any younger, Rangiku was sure she would have had him hiding behind her legs and peeking an eye out.

“Well I needed to come see you about some important lieutenant’s business,” Rangiku told Kaien, “and Toshiro thought he might come say hello to Rukia.”

Kaien and Rukia’s eyes turned to Toshiro, who squeaked out a timid and high pitched ‘hello’.

_What a dork._

“Why don’t you two go play while Kaien and I talk business?” Rangiku suggested, her hand on Toshiro’s back and pushing him gently towards the girl.

“We’re too old to ‘play’, Lieutenant!” Toshiro hissed in embarrassment but Rangiku ignored that, giving the boy a hasher shove. If he hadn’t been the ice wielder he was, Rangiku was sure he would have slipped over.

“Go along,” Kaien encouraged the two younger soldiers then. “You might as well make the most of the fresh snow and daylight for today. I know you both enjoy it.”

Well now that seemed to be the most convincing argument the two had heard, as Rukia and Toshiro exchanged glances for a moment, the hint of a grin on each of their faces. After a moment, Rukia nodded her head towards the training grounds and the two of them set off.

“Shall we head inside?” Kaien asked Rangiku then.

“Please,” Rangiku shivered.

She hated the cold. She loved Toshiro and his powers, of course, and she loved a cold drink at the end of the day, but gods did she hate the cold weather.

She followed her fellow lieutenant inside to his office which was thankfully as warm as the Tenth captain’s office had been. Captain Ukitake and Miyako weren’t around so the office was quiet. Rangiku sat herself in a chair beside the window as Kaien made them a pot of tea and returned a moment later with two cups.

Rangiku could see Toshiro and Rukia out the window – it seemed they had taken to building a snowman together. It appeared awkward but after a moment Rukia seemed to laugh while Toshiro rolled his eyes. Despite the surroundings and their inner spirits, the two kids seemed to be warming up to each other again.

“They seem to be getting on well?” Kaien grinned as he sat down in the seat opposite Rangiku.

“It’s adorable,” Rangiku cooed.

Kaien hummed in agreement.

“So what lieutenant items did you need to discuss?” Kaien asked.

“Oh no, nothing,” Rangiku waved him off with a giggle. “Toshiro just wanted to come see Rukia but needed some encouragement so I told him I needed to come see you anyway.”

Kaien’s lips made an understanding ‘oh’ before he grinned.

“He’s very shy, isn't he?” Kaien chuckled as Rangiku nodded. “Rukia too actually, but I think she’s slowly gaining some confidence.”

“I think we need to encourage them to spend more time together until they will do it on their own,” Rangiku murmured. “Toshiro is very shy and I’ve realised today how lonely it has been for him being the only kid around the Tenth.”

To be fair, Toshiro was a mature kid and was usually happy to spend all his time with adults, but it would take its toll eventually. He needed social interactions with someone close to his age, he needed to be able to run around outside for some fun instead of only when swinging a sword around.

Weekends in particular must have been hard on him. Rangiku was always out drinking and Isshin usually spent weekends at Shiba Manor. Though Rangiku was sure Toshiro was always welcome there, she would guess that Toshiro might have felt like he was intruding if he went there all the time.

Outside in the Thirteenth training grounds, Toshiro was smiling widely now and Rukia had a cheeky grin about her. It was clear why a second later when she threw a snowball at him and it broke apart in the boy’s hair. Toshiro looked offended at first, but there was a glint in his eyes Rangiku had seen so many times before. In an instant the two kids were off, flash stepping in opposite directions and diving behind leafless trees, quickly forming snowballs and throwing them at each other.

This was the type of interaction Toshiro needed, and as much as Rangiku and Isshin could do their best to encourage this more playful behaviour from him, they were more parental figures (well Isshin was – Rangiku proudly maintained her status as annoying older sister).

What Toshiro needed was a friend.

So Rangiku and Kaien sat at the window and watched the all-out snowball fight that was going on, giggling when one kid particularly hammered the other.

Eventually the sky started growing dark and the images of the two young Soul Reapers started to blend in with the dark, Toshiro’s hair becoming the only visible thing and even then if he stayed still, Rangiku would mistake it for snow.

Rangiku left Kaien in the office and trudged back out to the training grounds, where she stumbled on the tail end of a conversation.

“Is it for me?” Rukia asked and Rangiku rounded the corner just in time to see her take a small flower made from glass- no, it was made from ice - from Toshiro’s hand.

The boy nodded.

Oh gods, he really did listen to Rangiku when she said girls like flowers. Next time, Rangiku was going to have to tell him how much lieutenants liked foot rubs and having their quarters cleaned.

“I was wondering if you, um…” Toshiro shifted his weight and brought his hand up to rub his arm nervously, “if you wanted to be my f-friend?”

Rangiku’s heart exploded and she almost tripped over.

Oh gosh, how precious! Toshiro was actually asking Rukia to be his friend.

Rukia blinked in confusion.

“I thought we already were,” she murmured.

“Oh,” Toshiro looked just as confused. Clearly he had no idea what he was doing. “Okay, cool.”

Rangiku chuckled and Toshiro had heard, turning to her in alarm, as though he had just been caught doing something he shouldn’t have.

Well it was probably best to save him now.

“Come on,” Rangiku grinned at him. “We better go get some dinner. Captain will send out a search party if you’re not home soon.”

“I should be getting home to my brother too,” Rukia added then, and she bowed to them both in farewell before she turned and disappeared into the dark.

“B-bye!” Toshiro called after her, reaching out in what was somewhere between a wave and a thumbs up.

Rangiku burst out in laughter, of course.

“You are such a dork,” the lieutenant laughed before she started imitating him. “‘B-bye’”

Toshiro flushed red.

“You are so annoying, Matsumoto!” he hissed.

“Hey, that’s Lieutenant Matsumoto to you!”

Toshiro pouted.

“I’m telling Da-Captain,” he threatened her, trying to look fierce despite the clear slip up that only made Rangiku laugh more.

“Yeah you go tell ‘Da-Captain’,” Rangiku wheezed, as Toshiro huffed and brushed passed as he stormed off.

“To think I made a snow-woman of you,” he muttered as he passed.

A snow-woman of her? Rangiku spun back quickly to where she had seen the kids making a snowman and gasped excitedly seeing the two figures. Both snowmen were tall, and one had short dark hair and a big happy smile – clearly Rukia’s of Kaien. The other had red-yellow leaves for long hair and it’s expression was almost drunk. When Rangiku squinted, it had blue-grey stones for eyes and a mole next to its lip.

That was her snow-woman.

“You left off my boobs!” Rangiku called after the boy, turning sharply and flash stepping to keep up.

Toshiro stumbled on his steps.

“I’m not touching those things,” he hissed. “Snow or otherwise.”

Rangiku rolled her eyes, tempted to mutter something far too adult for him but thankfully the comment was caught on the tip of her tongue.

“Such a dork,” she muttered instead.

“Whatever,” Toshiro rolled his eyes.

“Wow he makes one friend and now he’s full of sass,” Rangiku chortled. “Don’t tell me your angsty teenage years are upon us so soon.”

“You are so annoying,” Toshiro groaned.

Rangiku smirked – yeah, she was annoying, that’s what big sisters were for. Big sisters were also protective, so Rukia had better be a good friend to her little brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp there you have it.
> 
> Remember to drop a comment to let me know if you’re liking this story so far and if you want to see anything in particular!


	21. Graduation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Toshiro's graduation from the Spiritual Arts Academy approaches, Isshin hopes he will choose to serve Squad Ten.

Just over a year ago, Rangiku had burst into Isshin’s family home with an unconscious and bleeding Rukongai child. Isshin had been wary and distrustful of the boy at first, but he could hardly keep that up when the boy saved his mother from an intruder.

Now that same boy was graduating from the Spiritual Arts Academy.

Isshin had kept a close eye on Toshiro during his time at the Academy, and though the captain knew the boy was intelligent, he had almost choked on his drink when he found out the boy would be graduating in one year’s time instead of the normal six. Isshin had definitely choked on his drink when the boy had managed to release his Zanpakuto, which was revealed to be the legendary ice dragon, Hyorinmaru.

Toshiro was something special, that was for sure, if the most powerful ice element spirit had chosen him as his new host Soul.

Isshin knew every squad in the Gotei Thirteen would be after the boy, and in truth, Isshin had always planned to offer him a place at the Tenth but now he knew he was going to have to up his offer.

Thankfully, Isshin had just the place for the kid. Watanabe had just retired anyway.

The day before the graduation ceremony, which all the Shibas and Rangiku would be attending, Isshin entered the Academy gates in search of the little boy from Hitsugaya.

The place always brought back nostalgic memories for Isshin – six years of fun, no responsibility and women, _so many women_. There was barely any learning going on, that was for sure, but still Isshin managed to graduate into a low seated position at the Tenth.

Eventually the captain found Toshiro out in the gardens, sitting in the shade below a tree.

The boy had four open books around him and two separate piles of paperwork that were weighted down by rocks.

“Exams are done, Kid,” Isshin teased when he was close enough. “What are you studying for?”

Toshiro’s eyes snapped up to Isshin, and upon seeing him, he broke out in a wide smile. For some reason, that kid smiling at him always made Isshin’s heart flutter.

“Captain Shiba,” Toshiro grinned, bowing his head a little since he was already down on the ground.

He had only started doing that since starting at the Academy, obviously learning that Isshin was a captain and captains were to be bowed to in respect.

“I am studying for fun,” he answered as he straightened back up and continued to grin.

“Of course you are,” Isshin murmured dryly, a slight smirk on his face. He now knew that Toshiro was a big (figuratively speaking) nerd. He loved books and he loved learning about anything and everything, he had all his study notes organised perfectly.

If they had been at the Academy together, they wouldn’t have been friends.

Fortunately, Isshin had matured over the years and saw now that this kid was going places faster than the captain had.

“Well I thought I’d bring over my offer for you to join the Tenth,” Isshin handed Toshiro the envelope, loving the way those teal eyes lit up excitedly. “How many captains have hand delivered offers to you, hm?”

Isshin was being smug, but he hadn’t expected Toshiro’s response.

“Including you…” Toshiro drawled, his expression thoughtful. “Eight.”

“Eight?” Isshin spluttered.

Toshiro nodded before he continued matter-of-factly, “The rest had their lieutenants bring them.”

“The rest?” Isshin repeated again in shock.

Toshiro hummed and gestured to the two piles of papers.

“I’m thirteen for thirteen,” he shrugged.

Isshin’s eyes went so wide they hurt and he was sure his eyeballs were going to fall out of his head. He knew Toshiro would be a popular option for many squads but he had hoped the boy’s age might turn some of the captains away. Clearly that was not the case as Isshin stared down at the offers piled together, their corners flicking gently in the breeze.

“Third seat?”

Toshiro’s voice pulled Isshin from his shocked stupor.

The captain glanced down at the boy to find teal orbs staring up at him in surprise.

“Tell me I’m the only captain to offer you a position as high as third seat?” Isshin groaned.

“You are,” Toshiro assured him, but he looked uncertain. “Third seat is too high for me. It’s too high for any graduate.”

The captain lowered himself to the grass, the insane curiosity over taking him for a moment as he scooped up one of the two stacks of squad offers and began flicking through them.

“Hey don’t mess those up!” Toshiro squawked. “I just sorted them.”

“What are the two stacks for?” Isshin asked.

“No and maybe,” Toshiro answered.

Isshin frowned, glancing down at the top offer on this pile and then flicking through the ones behind it.

Tenth seat at Squad Four, seventh seat at Squad Seven, sixth seat at Squad Three, eighteenth seat at Squad One, eleventh seat at Squad Two, Fourteenth seat at Squad Twelve-

“Tell me this is the ‘no’ pile,” Isshin frowned down at the last offer.

Toshiro’s smirk was wide as Isshin held up Kurotsuchi’s offer.

“I’d be a good scientist,” the boy defended.

“He’s a psychopath, Toshiro,” Isshin spat. “You’ll be lucky if he doesn’t want to cut you open.”

Toshiro shrugged, but his grin was playful.

Isshin sighed; he was being wound up - this was the ‘no’ pile.

“I know all about Squad Twelve’s captain,” Toshiro explained seriously. “I’m not going there.”

Toshiro explained why he rejected the other offers too. He had decided against becoming a healer because Hyorinmaru was combat-based Zanpakuto and he believed he owed it to him to fight after lying dormant for so long. Toshiro rejected the Seventh because he won't trust a man when he can’t see his eyes. Isshin nodded, that seemed fair.

Toshiro didn’t want to work under Gin Ichimaru, and apparently not just because of the clash of interest of him being Rangiku’s boyfriend.

“Don’t tell her I said it,” Toshiro pouted, “but he’s kind of creepy.”

“He’s very creepy,” Isshin agreed with a sigh.

To be fair, Gin seemed alright when he took that stupid grin off his face and had an actual conversation. Isshin supposed that’s what Rangiku saw.

“I wasn’t too sure about the First and Second Divisions,” Toshiro admitted. “They seem like large squads with a lot of opportunities but...”

He trailed off and Isshin never heard what Toshiro had to say about that but he could probably guess enough. As a small kid, Toshiro would be lost easily in the larger divisions, not to mention the suffocating pressure that would be on him if he had Yamamoto looking down on him or the fear of serving Soifon. Squad One had over eight hundred soldiers in it, always a popular choice for recruits who thought it would be the quickest way to climb the hierarchy, and while Squad Two was smaller, Soifon was stretched thin by the Stealth Force too.

Isshin was glad Toshiro had said no to both of them. He was a kid, and he needed a close working relationship with his superiors – he needed that almost parental guidance in his life.

“Well,” Isshin sighed, placing the ‘no’ pile down. “I don’t think you should be considering any position below a tenth seat anyway. You’re too smart and two powerful.”

Toshiro ducked his head and thanked him, but Isshin still saw the slight pink in his cheeks.

Picking up the other stack, the ‘maybe’ pile, Isshin began flickering through it. He internalised the sigh – there were a number of great offers.

Sixth seat at the Fifth, thirteenth seat at the Sixth, seventh seat at the Eighth, ninth seat at the Ninth, fourth seat at the Eleventh (now that one was a surprise, both the offer and Toshiro considering it), and lastly, eighth seat at the Thirteenth.

Isshin scoffed; even his own brother was going to try steal Toshiro from him.

“Let me help you,” Isshin muttered, throwing the offer for the Sixth in the ‘no’ pile - Toshiro was worth way more than a thirteenth seat – and then the offer for the Eleventh in the same pile.

“Hey!” Toshiro pouted. “That’s a good offer!”

“No, I won’t allow it,” Isshin answered simply, like he actually got a say. “They’re all brutes there, they'll kill you.”

Toshiro snatched back up the offer from the Eleventh.

“I’ll have you know they really like me over there,” Toshiro straightened, puffing his chest out a little. “I got excellent combat scores and I can do all their paperwork.”

It was a good offer, the next best to Isshin’s third seat officer and that’s probably why the captain hated it so much.

“There is no loyalty over there,” Isshin argued. “They’ll kill their own captain to prove themselves.”

Toshiro shrugged, “Hyorinmaru loves a fight.”

“I bet he does,” Isshin sent the Zanpakuto lying on the grass beside Toshiro a pointed look, “but the Eleventh is not the place to use him or train him.”

“I’m still considering it,” Toshiro decided, placing the offer next to the ‘no’ pile.

When had Toshiro become such a defiant little kid?

Isshin sighed and returned to the stack in his hands, he tossed away the offers for the Eighth and Ninth.

“Kyoraku is my friend but he’s a worse drunk than Rangiku and you shouldn’t be around that at your age,” Isshin muttered. “The Ninth is a nothing squad, and frankly that Tosen has always weirded me out.”

“Because he’s blind?” Toshiro smirked.

“Because he won’t stop talking about getting justice,” Isshin answered sternly. “It’s annoying and a little creepy.”

Toshiro smirked.

“I suppose he falls under the same rule as Captain Komamura,” Toshiro shrugged. “I can’t see his eyes so I don’t think I can trust him.”

That left Isshin holding two offers other than his own – the one for the Fifth and the one for the Thirteenth.

He had no arguments left. Both positions were highly ranked, and both squads had gentle and friendly captains. Isshin didn’t personally care for Aizen, as nice as the man was. They had been at the Academy together and Aizen was the nerdy, goody-two-shoes type that Isshin had spent his entire academic career rolling his eyes out. He supposed it stung now, knowing Toshiro was the same type and would get along perfectly with Aizen.

Squad Thirteen was also a brilliant offer, and though an eighth seat position was lower than Toshiro was capable of, it would be under the stewardship of the kindest captain in the Gotei Thirteen. It also had the added benefit of Kaien, who Toshiro was already familiar with.

“Lieutenant Hinamori taught a kido course here last term,” Toshiro explained softly. “She was really nice to me, and helped me with my kido which was my worst class at the time.”

Isshin frowned, remembering Toshiro’s grades – he had ended up scoring in the ninety-ninth percentile across all areas.

Sighing, and deflating a little in defeat, Isshin had to put the two offers back on the ‘maybe’ pile, no rebuttal coming to mind.

Toshiro added the offer from the Eleventh on top and then Isshin’s offer on top of that.

The boy had four squad offers to consider and the Tenth was only one of those.

“I’ll let you think on it,” the captain murmured quietly as he stood back up. “Just don’t pick the Eleventh, okay?”

He didn’t want little Toshiro to become a brute like them. He certainly didn’t want him to get hurt by his own squad members that might think it okay to pick on an innocent child.

Toshiro’s smirk was mischievous.

“We’ll see,” he drawled.

Cheeky, that kid, terribly cheeky.

Isshin grimaced and made to leave.

He paused though, and glanced back over his shoulder.

“A third seat position is not too high for you,” he told the boy. “You are powerful and intelligent, and I know for a fact that you will be able to handle the role, and I will be there to support you every step of the way, Rangiku too.”

Toshiro’s expression was surprised at first, before it turned pensive.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Isshin told him in farewell, and walked away from the tree.

He felt uneasy that Toshiro might still pick one of the other squads. He didn’t like the idea of Toshiro training and serving under another captain. Isshin was the one who had named him, he was the one who had enrolled him and walked him through the Academy gates on his first day. It should have been him to guide Toshiro through his career too.

Alas, he could only hope Toshiro would feel the same when he eventually decided.

* * *

The next day, Isshin and his family stood waiting in the shade for Toshiro to catch up with them.

“He looked so adorable, didn’t he?” Rangiku gushed to Mari.

“I wish he would have let me alter the ceremonial robes for him,” Mari murmured. “The poor kid was swamped in fabric.”

Toshiro’s graduation ceremony had just finished.

The whole thing had been far more civilised than in Isshin’s day. The graduating glass was rather large, a hundred or so this year, and they had all sat quiet and patient until they had to stand to receive their certificates.

As top of his class, Toshiro had given the student’s address. He was nervous, Isshin could tell, but he did a good job of it.

“Toshiro is far smarter than he lets on,” Kaien had commented quietly after the speech. “He ranked over all these students, most of which have done the full six years.”

“Yep,” Isshin agreed dryly, “and many of them have come from long lines of Soul Reapers. They’ve grown up surrounded by it.”

“And yet they were all beaten by a little boy from Hitsugaya,” Kaien finished.

Isshin nodded; either the standards were dropping, or Toshiro was way more intelligent and powerful than he let on, and the captain was betting it was the latter.

Being an early summer day, the sun had beat down rather hot and while Isshin and Rangiku certainly hadn’t minded, the rest of the Shibas had been glad when the ceremony finished and they were able to move into the shade.

Toshiro was currently speaking to the Academy’s Headmaster, but promised to catch up with them soon.

Isshin shifted his weight nervously; all graduate squad selections had to be in by midnight. So far the Tenth would be welcoming seven new unseated officers, two new nineteenth seats, a seventeenth seat and a fifteenth seat. More than half of the offers the Tenth made had been accepted, but there was only one Isshin truly cared about.

Isshin hoped Toshiro would pick the Tenth of course, but if he didn’t Isshin still hoped Toshiro could come to him first. He didn't want to hear from Aizen or even Kaien if Toshiro went with one of the other divisions.

“There’s our little graduate,” Mari cooed and Isshin looked over to see Toshiro running up to them and straight into Mari’s open arms.

For an ice type, he was surprisingly affectionate with the people he was comfortable around.

“You came,” Toshiro’s voice was muffled by Mari’s kimono as she hugged him tightly, but the excitement was clear in his voice.

“We wouldn’t have missed it,” Kukaku answered with a smirk. “I even put on my good arm.”

Toshiro’s eye peeked out of Mari’s kimono to glance at Kukaku’s ‘good arm’ and he grinned widely when he saw the silver prosthetic she was wearing today.

“That’s so cool,” Toshiro breathed, leaving Mari’s side to come inspect it. “Does it get hot in the sun?”

“Not as much as you’d think,” Kukaku laughed, ruffling the boy’s hair.

Toshiro made the rounds then, giving each Shiba a quick hug and thanking them for coming while they in turn congratulated him.

Finally it was Isshin’s turn, and he realised as he hugged the boy back, that this was the first time they had ever hugged. He remembered once when Toshiro’s skin had been so cold, he had rarely reached out to anyone, but it seemed he had now controlled his powers and reined in the chill because the boy hugging Isshin now wasn’t cold at all.

“I, um,” Isshin cleared his throat as Toshiro pulled back from the hug and he fished a small wrapped package from his pocket. “I have a little graduation gift for you.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” Toshiro gasped, his eyes going comically wide as he was handed the little gift. “I got you a gift!”

“Me?” Isshin frowned. “It’s not my graduation.”

“No, but,” Toshiro inhaled and exhaled sharply. “You got me here. There wouldn’t be a graduation if you didn’t enroll me and tutor me and-and feed me and-”

_Oh_. Isshin pulled the boy in for another hug.

Despite Toshiro’s beliefs, Isshin hadn’t done all that. Mari had fed him. Rangiku had pushed for enrollment. Isshin had tutored him for the entry exam but the kid hadn’t really needed it since he was naturally smart.

“It was hard,” Toshiro admitted quietly in his hold, “but every time I wanted to quit I thought of you so I stayed and worked harder. I didn’t want to let you down. You’re the reason I am graduating today.”

Isshin felt his heart clench. He knew the boy had made a huge impact on his life, but he hadn’t realised how much he had made his own impact in Toshiro’s life.

He pulled back from the hug and grinned down at the boy.

“Open your present,” he instructed Toshiro, and the boy hesitated a moment before he finally started unwrapping the small package.

He opened it and gasped when he saw the little bronze badge. It had a tiny daffodil in the centre of it – Isshin had it made before he realised he was going to have to fight the other squads from Toshiro’s recruitment.

“You can use it to clip your sword sash around you, or you can simply wear it or keep it somewhere safe,” Isshin shrugged when those teal eyes glanced up at him. “Even if you don’t pick the Tenth, you will still have a little piece of Rangiku and me with you.”

Toshiro’s lips twitched into a smile and he looked down to pin it to his uniform beneath the ceremonial robe.

“I will wear it everywhere,” Toshiro murmured. “Thank you.”

Rangiku was beaming happily as she knelt down to straighten the badge on the boy.

“Now I have something for you,” Toshiro looked back up at Isshin, producing an envelope from his pocket and handing it to the captain. “I probably shouldn’t have called it a gift, but hopefully you will understand my appreciation.”

Eyes flickering to the boy for a moment and back to the envelope, Isshin opened it carefully, sliding out the folded up paper.

He opened up the paper and felt a wide grin stretch over his face.

It was Toshiro’s signed acceptance for the offer of the third seat position at Squad Ten.

His eyes snapped back to Toshiro and the boy bowed quickly.

“I will serve Squad Ten well, Captain,” Toshiro promised him.

Beside them, Rangiku was cheering, doing a little celebratory dance and teasing Kaien who rolled his eyes and muttered about giving it his best shot.

“I know you will,” Isshin smiled down at the boy as Toshiro straightened back up.

Toshiro grinned back at him as Ganju, standing the closest to him, clapped him on the back and congratulated him.

Isshin folded back up the acceptance letter and returned it to the envelope before depositing it safely in the inner pocket of his haori.

“I’ve got to say, Toshiro,” Isshin chuckled. “I am so glad you didn’t decide to go with the Eleventh or the Fifth.”

Toshiro smirked and shrugged.

“It was always the Tenth, Sir,” Toshiro admitted cheekily. “I was never going to work for anyone else.”

Isshin rolled his eyes and reached down to ruffle Toshiro’s hair.

Cheeky as he was, Isshin knew Toshiro was going to be a brilliant third seat at Squad Ten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Which Squad would you want to join and why? Drop a comment to let me know!  
> I'm biased, of course. Ten all the way! (though I have a big weakness for Kyoraku and Nanao too xD)


	22. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isshin finds Toshiro having a nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might be getting a little bit dark today o.O

Light was starting to creep back through the barracks as Isshin wandered through them.

_Great. Morning again._

The captain sighed, glancing at the large and ancient clock that hung over the quad as he passed through it. It had just gone four o’clock in morning, and Isshin was only now getting back to his quarters.

He’d have to be back up in just a few hours. Though, realistically, he could start in the office a little later since Toshiro was handling all the paperwork now and the boy generally preferred the peace and quiet he got early in the morning to get through it.

Still, four in the morning was way too late for Isshin to be returning from the annual Captain’s and Lieutenant’s Formal Dinner. The event itself was a stuffy old dinner in the First Division Meeting Hall and was Central Forty-Six’s idea of putting a Band-Aid over some of the growing unrest. After all, how could the captains and lieutenants be upset about the injustice in the Rukongai and harsh punishments for those who tried to help when Central Forty-Six had put on this lovely and grand dinner party for them? Honestly, the whole event was a sham but of course, their attendance was required. Yamamoto’s attempt at a rousing and inspiring speech had fallen on deaf ears as it usually did, but hey, t _he salmon had been to die for_.

The only redeeming thing that the formal dinner had going for it, and the only thing that did work to raise morale and perhaps cover up the problems for a while longer, was the after party. This year, and in fact most years, Captain Kyoraku had hosted at the Eighth. It was the after party that had Isshin returning so late – it was always such a wild and exciting night.

As per usual, Rangiku had passed out sometime after two o’clock and Isshin had left her in the capable hands of Lieutenant Ise. Not as per usual, Isshin found that he didn’t really want to be there, and he didn’t even drink that much. This was unusual compared to previous years in which Isshin would get blind drunk and take home any woman who would have him.

He must have been getting old now, or maybe it was the slow transition from captain to parental figure over his third seat that made him more sensible. Isshin had to believe it was the latter, since he had spent most of the night bragging to anyone who would listen about Toshiro’s abilities and achievements, and had called the Tenth between the main meal and dessert to make sure the kid was going to bed on time.

“I’m just finishing this report,” Toshiro had told him through the phone. “I’m trying to read your notes but your handwriting is difficult to decipher.”

Isshin had to smirk at that – he had been told on many occasions that he had ‘doctor’s handwriting’. Unohana hated that saying, but her handwriting was the worst of all.

“Read what you can to me?” Isshin suggested. “I’ll help with the words you're stuck on.”

“I’d love to read it to you,” Toshiro’s tone was dry, “but it’s all the words I’m stuck on.”

The captain laughed heartily down the Soul Phone.

“Leave it for tomorrow when I can look at it again,” Isshin chuckled. “For now, go to bed.”

He couldn’t see the pout, but he knew Toshiro was sporting one.

“Fine,” he grumbled. “Good night, Sir.”

“Good night, Toshiro,” Isshin returned, a grin he couldn’t stop on his lips. “Sleep well.”

The temptation to check on the kid now was pulling at Isshin’s mind but the captain kept on walking towards his quarters – Toshiro slept in a shared dormitory so Isshin couldn’t really be going in there just to check on the kid.

The captain reached his quarters at last, and fumbled with his keys tiredly. He entered, closing the door behind him with a tired exhale, before he kicked off his shoes and wandered into the lonely dwelling. The floorboards creaked a little beneath his feet as he made his way to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

It was walking through the living room that Isshin spotted his guest.

Toshiro was asleep on his couch; the book he had been reading had fallen to the floor and the blanket Isshin always left out for him was tangled around his legs, half of it falling to the floor beside the book. He had obviously had one of his bad nights, where he was either plagued by bad dreams or insomnia. Isshin had given him a key a long time ago, so he could come to the captain’s quarters and hopefully sleep better.

The captain started to smile just as the sight, but then he clocked the boy’s frown. Isshin had seen the boy sleeping many times in the office or on his couch, and he knew that when Toshiro was in a peaceful sleep, his face was relaxed, making him look even younger than he was. Now though, the boy was frowning deeply, and as Isshin got closer, he noticed the boy’s erratically moving eyes under his eyelids, and the rapid and shallow breathing.

He was dreaming.

Not good dreams, if the frown and clenching fists were any indication. Then Toshiro whimpered, and he sounded terrified.

Isshin reached out, intending to card his hand through the boy’s snowy hair, knowing Toshiro usually found it comforting, but he had barely touched the kid when Toshiro jerked awake with a strangled scream. His hand wrapped tightly around Isshin’s wrist and became colder than the captain had ever felt it, pushing away from his body. Toshiro was instinctively blocking an attack and those teal eyes were wide with fear and filling with tears. His other hand clutched his side, like he had been wounded.

“Woah, Kid!” Isshin held up his free hand in defence, not daring to move his other hand trapped in the icy grasp. “It’s just me.”

This was why they shouldn’t wake sleeping soldiers who were trained to fight and kill – their reflexes were instinctive and they were almost too quick, too deadly.

Toshiro’s eyes darted over him, his breathing laboured, before it seemed to click. He let go of Isshin's wrist and pulled back quickly.

“I’m sorry,” he apologised quickly, voice wavering as he swallowed down his pants.

“It’s okay, Son,” Isshin murmured, reaching out to brush Toshiro’s hair away from his slightly sweaty forehead. He had never seen the boy so distressed, and it made his heart clench.

Immediately the kid’s face crumpled, a sob escaping.

The captain watched as Toshiro brought his knees up to his chest, his breathing no less controlled, as his Spiritual Pressure wavered anxiously and his eyes drifted away, looking unfocused as his mind seemed to go somewhere else. His whole body trembled.

Isshin knew Toshiro had nightmares, most Soul Reapers did, but he hadn’t seen it before. This reaction was worse than he had expected and he hated it, the idea of his kid suffering in his sleep.

Sighing, Isshin lowered himself onto the couch and carefully brought the small boy into his arms. Instantly Toshiro was curling into him, gripping Isshin’s haori and burying his face in his chest.

“What happened, Toshiro?” the captain asked, his concern only growing. Toshiro was awake now but Isshin could see he was still very much mentally caught up in whatever he had been dreaming about.

“St-stabbed,” Toshiro gasped out, tears in his voice.

_Stabbed?_

Toshiro had never been stabbed, and Isshin prayed every day that he never would know that pain. The boy had taken some hits over the years, certainly deep slash cuts and miscellaneous battle injuries, but he had never been stabbed before.

Maybe he was scared he would be eventually?

It was a real risk in their line of work.

Isshin hugged the boy tighter _. Nope,_ he didn’t like that idea, but it explained the way Toshiro had been holding his side when he woke, as if applying pressure to a wound.

“It was just a dream,” the captain assured him, rubbing his back.

Toshiro’s form continued to shake against Isshin, his body not relaxing into the hold like it normally would.

“It was r-real,” the boy managed, his voice thick and full of tremors. “He st-stabbed me, again and again.”

“Who did?” Isshin asked, frown dipping deeper as he squeezed the boy.

It was then that Toshiro stopped shaking, his whole body stilling but no less tense. Isshin waited patiently, continuing to rub the boy’s back in an effort to soothe him.

Abruptly, Toshiro pulled away from Isshin slipped off the couch as the captain frowned. He wiped the wetness in his eyes and smudged down his cheeks with the back of his hand before he straightened his yukata and made for the door.

“Toshiro?” the captain called after him, following him into the hallway.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Toshiro answered at last, his words quick. 

“Talking about it is healthy,” Isshin told the boy, reaching the boy’s shoulder and spinning him back around.

“It’s in the past now,” the boy sighed, brushing Isshin off again. “I want to leave it there.”

Isshin frowned. Was the dream in the past? Or were the contents of the dream a past memory? They couldn’t be – Toshiro had never been stabbed. Not as far as Isshin knew.

Toshiro didn’t say, twisting out of Isshin’s hold and reaching the door.

“It’s light now,” Toshiro turned away. “I should get to work.”

“It’s four in morning,” Isshin informed him, shutting back the door as the kid tried to open it. “You are not going to work at this time.”

Toshiro turned back to him, an argument clearly on his tongue but the captain held up a hand to silence him. For goodness sake, the boy still had tears on cheeks and his face was now whiter than his hair.

Isshin steered him back into the living room before he moved to the kitchen to get two glasses of water. He gave one to Toshiro when he returned and he noticed the boy’s hands shaking as he accepted the glass. Sighing, the captain placed a hand on Toshiro’s shoulder and guided him to the bedroom.

“If you’re not going to talk to me about it, then you at least need a few more hours of good sleep,” Isshin informed the boy. 

It wasn’t the first time Toshiro had slept in a bed with either him or Rangiku, so Isshin knew he would be comfortable with it.

The kid seemed to hesitate a moment, but eventually the call of a warm bed must have been too tempting for him, or perhaps it was not wanting to disobey a captain’s order, and Toshiro climbed up onto the mattress, placing his water on the nightstand.

The bedroom was dark, thanks to the heavy curtains, and Isshin gave the boy space but he didn’t seem to want it.

Toshiro settled close to him, but not touching him at first, obviously too shy for a cuddle that Isshin was fairly certain he wanted. Still, he would let the boy make that call, and soon enough, he felt Toshiro rest his head against Isshin’s bicep.

“It was scary,” Toshiro murmured after a few moments, voice small.

“You’re okay,” Isshin murmured to the boy, and he lifted his arm so Toshiro could curl against his chest, which he did immediately. “You’re safe here with me.”

Isshin wasn’t really thinking when did it, of whether it was appropriate or not to hug his third seat in his bed and settle down with him again, but if he did think about it, he’d laugh off the concern. This wasn’t his third seat right now, this was his kid – and his kid needed his dad right now.

The boy nodded against him, seemingly settled with that, and soon enough he was falling asleep again.

Isshin laid awake, staring at the dark ceiling. He was no longer tired.

_Stabbed?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I hinting at something? You tell me.
> 
> Hope you’re all having good weekends :)
> 
> Edit: as you all know, my chapters aren't in order. Toshiro hasn't be stabbed yet like he was (sort of?) in chapter 13. Fear


	23. Pet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toshiro loved animals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some interesting guesses from you lot regarding the last chapter, I must say. We will revisit that later but for now…
> 
> *Chucks some fluff and cuteness at you all after last week*

Toshiro loved animals.

There weren’t as many in the Soul Society as there were in the World of the Living, but every time Toshiro saw one – provided he didn’t know he was going to eat it later – he felt a rush of excitement flood through him. Sometimes he even named them!

He cared less for insects and the miscellaneous bugs of course; during his Rukongai days, they had been more of a nuisance than anything else. Butterflies and ladybirds were the exception – anything that beautiful couldn’t be hated. Also spiders could be fun, depending on the species (definitely not the Captain Kurotsuchi hallucination variety).

Birds were pretty cool, though Toshiro firmly believed that anything that could fly and scare Rangiku was cool. They had a lot of pigeons in the Seireitei and the lieutenant hated them.

“They fly so close!” she would wail and complain. “They have no fear. Look at their beady eyes!”

Toshiro always found humour when she would duck and squeal if they flew too close to her.

So yeah, birds were cool.

Fish were alright – usually he only saw them on his dinner plate of an evening. Except koi – koi were _really cool_. Brightly coloured, and essentially just oversized goldfish, but boy could they light up a pond. There was a large pond at the very back of the Shiba Manor property, and Granny often took him out there to feed them. Sometimes there would be ducks too, and Toshiro would get to feed them. In the springtime, there would be adorable little ducklings too. Toshiro liked to watch them grow up and get their down feathers.

Mammals? Amazing. Toshiro loved them – they were so warm and usually furry – cuddly, except the ones that weren’t. Toshiro had always wanted a pet, like maybe a dog or a cat. He had seen them in the Rukongai, sometimes owned by Souls, others were strays. They didn’t like him though, but what kind of mammal would like a boy with skin as cold as ice? Just like the Souls in the Rukongai, they avoided him.

Reptiles, though – well Toshiro had an interesting relationship with them. He didn’t love snakes – especially hating a certain silver-haired snake in the Squad Three captain’s haori. Turtles were cool, Toshiro supposed; he had seen one or two of those in Granny’s large pond. Crocodiles and alligators? Not so appealing, but he hadn’t met one so he shouldn’t judge them too soon.

Lizards?

Well lizards were just snakes with legs, no?

_No._

Lizards were not just snakes with legs. Lizards were descendants of _dragons._

And Toshiro was looking right at one.

“Lizard!” Toshiro gasped and pointed, staring with wide eyes.

There, straight ahead, curled up against a rock, was a lizard.

“So it is,” Isshin commented dryly, waiting patiently as Toshiro crept off the path and through the grass, sneaking closer to it.

It was Sunday afternoon, and Toshiro had spent the weekend at Shiba Manor with his captain. They were on their way back to the Seireitei and the Squad Ten barracks when Toshiro had spotted the patterned scales in the short grass.

“It’s an Eastern Water Dragon! A baby one!” Toshiro gushed excitedly when he got closer and recognised the familiar spiny dorsal ridge and dark stripes running down its’ long tail. He had only seen them in books! “They aren’t native. I wonder what it’s doing here?”

“Probably an escapee from the illegal exotic animal trade that was shut down,” Isshin murmured and Toshiro shuddered.

He had heard all about the illegal exotic animal trade. Some terrible Souls in the Rukongai had been trading exotic animals, including tigers, lions, bears, and several species of imported snakes and lizards. The Stealth Force had been called in and needless to say, it was dealt with promptly and with no survivors – including the animals. Toshiro had been upset about that for weeks, and if he was being honest, he still was. He was glad the Souls responsible had been stopped, but did those innocent animals need to die?

Thankfully, if Isshin was right about this lizard being an escapee, this one was lucky.

Toshiro frowned, noticing the way the lizard was curled up by the bottom of the rock instead of basking on top of it. The boy glanced up towards the sun and back down at the rock. Why wasn’t the lizard trying to warm its cold blood?

Perhaps it had been injured?

Toshiro crept closer again, his hunch growing stronger when the lizard didn’t run away as it surely felt his vibrating footsteps approach. The lizard did jerk its body however, implying some level of fear but no ability to move.

“I think he’s hurt,” Toshiro murmured sadly, crouching down to see the young lizard better.

“He?” Isshin asked skeptically.

“He,” Toshiro confirmed; don't ask him how he knew, he just did.

Slowly, Toshiro reached down and gently picked the lizard up, ignoring his scared or maybe pained hiss. The boy saw then, the bloodied stump where the lizard’s leg used to be and the deep scratch that ran under its’ belly.

“Poor baby,” Toshiro murmured quietly, and used his free hand to stroke the creature’s back soothingly.

He turned back to Isshin to find the captain grimacing.

“You’ve picked it up,” he sighed in resignation. “Oh and you’ve started healing kido on it.”

Toshiro felt his lips twitch as the green glow lit up his hand and he smirked at Isshin.

This was not the first time he had picked up a creature that he probably shouldn’t have. He had become the resident spider catcher in the barracks, since Toshiro had looked up the species in a book and knew the ones commonly found around the division weren’t _that_ venomous. He knew if he picked them up gently and handled them with respect, they wouldn’t bite him. Showing Isshin the spiders he had caught around the division usually gave the captain a fright though.

“Put that down, it will bite you!” the captain would hiss, flinching away. “You’re going to give me a heart attack.”

Toshiro would always laugh at that, but he would put the spider down as ordered (once outside in the garden, of course).

The same went for lizards, when he found them, though they were usually just skinks he found. Birds too would sit on his hand or shoulder when he fed them. Toshiro loved animals, and he wasn’t afraid of them. He liked to handle them when they would let him, even though it always freaked Isshin out a bit to find his third seat sitting in the Squad Ten gardens with a wild rabbit in his lap.

Not that the rabbit would stay in his lap long after sensing Hyorinmaru.

“His leg has been bitten off,” Toshiro pouted at Isshin as he continued to heal the reptile in his hand.

Healing kido worked on animals, though it wasn’t super effective. Toshiro could only hope to close the lizard’s wound over and stop any further bleeding.

“That’s a bit better,” he murmured when he his kido was no longer doing anything, and he stroked the lizard’s head.

The lizard looked at him through calm black eyes, still and relaxed in Toshiro’s hand. The third seat ambled slowly back to the path where his captain was waiting for him.

“Okay good,” Isshin eyed the lizard, taking a small step back as Toshiro reached him. “You better put him down now.”

“I can’t put Tobio down,” Toshiro gasped in offence. “He’s missing a leg, he won’t be able to run or climb.”

He would be eaten in a matter of days.

“Tobio?” Isshin repeated, weary. His expression was doubtful and yet not surprised.

“My new friend,” Toshiro grinned, beaming up at his captain while holding the lizard up to show him.

“You can't bring that thing back to the barracks,” Isshin sighed, running a hand through his midnight black hair and noticeably leaning away.

“That ‘thing’ is a dragon,” Toshiro argued, bringing the lizard close to his chest for protection.

“A drag-”

“He’s practically my cousin.”

Isshin choked, “Your cous-”

“And if we leave him here, he will die,” Toshiro continued over the top of Isshin’s spluttering. “Is that what you want, Captain? For my cousin, _Tobio_ , to die?”

Isshin’s spluttering continued, as Toshiro lifted the lizard back up to him, making him look Tobio in the eye.

Isshin glanced at the lizard for a moment before he stared down at Toshiro, seemingly more interested in looking into the boy’s eyes than Tobio’s.

Toshiro stared back, determined. He loved lizards, and especially the dragon variety. It wasn’t really his cousin, but dragon lizards were the closest he had. Well, except the one purring contentedly in the back of Toshiro’s mind.

Yep, Hyorinmaru purred. They didn’t write that in the history books.

After a moment, Isshin gave a long suffering sigh of resignation.

“You can look after him until he is better,” Isshin decided, and held his finger up to Toshiro when the boy’s eyes lit up in excitement. “You will release him when he is healthier.”

Toshiro nodded quickly, though his intention was never to release the lizard. With a missing leg, Tobio would be too easy prey from the bigger animals. Still, he had been given a window of opportunity now, and the boy would convince the captain to let him keep Tobio eventually.

Toshiro grinned and brought the lizard back down to his level.

He booped Tobio’s spikey nose softly and grinned when he didn’t try to bite him. They were friends already!

Cradling the lizard close to his stomach, Toshiro followed after his captain as the man turned away with a roll of his eyes and muttering about the boy having ‘no regard for his own life’. Toshiro smirked; Tobio was hardly going to kill him, even if he did one day bite him.

* * *

Toshiro took the lizard back to the Squad Ten barracks. Of course the first thing he did when he got there was scare Rangiku.

“Lieutenant, look!” he exclaimed, holding Tobio up to Rangiku’s face.

She was lying on the office couch, half asleep. Groggily lifting her head and blinking, the moment she actually clocked the lizard held out to her, her eyes shot wide open and jerked back, rolling off the couch with a scream and landing on her butt.

“What is that?!” she shrieked, scrambling to her feet and away from Toshiro.

“His name is Tobio,” Toshiro grinned, petting the lizard’s head gently. “He’s my new friend.”

“That’s a lizard, Toshiro!” Rangiku wailed.

“Dragon sub-species,” Toshiro clarified, brows pinching as he frowned at her. “Look at his spiny scales.”

He moved closer to show her, but the woman yelped and jumped away, moving swiftly to the other side of the office.

Toshiro pouted.

“It’s okay, Tobio,” he murmured to the lizard. “She will warm up to you.”

Rangiku’s face was priceless at that, and was uncannily similar to Isshin’s when Toshiro had called the lizard his cousin. Just as the captain had, Rangiku could only splutter in response.

“Let’s go get something to eat,” Toshiro continued to speak softly to the lizard, “and we will have to find you a new home.”

He grinned when his back was turned to Rangiku, and he felt her wide eyes follow him out the door.

Toshiro decided he would feel guilty if he ate before Tobio, so he walked right past the canteen and towards the officer dormitories.

“Oh shi-” Kubo hissed, crossing paths with Toshiro in the doorway and practically throwing himself into the wall to get out of Toshiro and Tobio’s way.

The other men in his dorm all seemed to do a double take when they saw what he was carrying but Toshiro ignored them. Thankfully it was quiet in the room right now, with most officers at dinner or on duty. Climbing up onto his top bunk, Toshiro placed Tobio gently in his lap as he reached up to his personal shelf which had stacks of books on it.

He found the one about reptiles and amphibians and pulled it from the shelf.

Toshiro already knew the kind of diet Tobio would be on, and knew that crickets and cockroaches were probably the easiest for him to source. As much as he hated Squad Twelve, Toshiro did have a good rapport with their third seat, and was sure if he asked Akon, the man would sell him some insects to feed his lizard.

After all, Toshiro knew they had them. He had seen Kurotsuchi eating insects once, in a ‘chat’ in his office which had very quickly derailed when Toshiro was drugged and almost disemboweled.

Feeding Tobio wasn’t going to be a problem, but building him a suitable habitat might be.

He flicked through the book while Tobio made some slow movements, exploring his new environment on Toshiro’s bunk.

The third seat knew he would need a heat lamp, that was for certain, probably a powerful one. Being that Tobio was a water dragon, he would need to build a habitat that had a lot of water but also plenty of land space for him to bask on rocks and climb things.

Hmm… Just where was he supposed to set up an environment like that?

“You need a fish tank,” Kubo’s voice interrupted Toshiro’s thoughts. “A big one.”

The third seat glanced up to see Kubo standing by his bunk, eyeing the lizard up. Toshiro blinked; he wasn’t aware Kubo had followed him back inside as he had clearly been on his way out when Toshiro had passed him.

“A fish tank…” Toshiro murmured, thoughtful. Yes that could work – a big enough one where he could split it into two sections, one for the water side and the other the dry side. “Where would I find one?”

“I’ve got a buddy at the Eleventh that wants to get rid of one,” Kubo told him. “He’ll give it away for free if we go over there and get it.”

Toshiro eyes lit up.

“Will you help me?” he asked the Sixth Seat and the man nodded, after what was only a small sigh.

The third grinned, scooping Tobio back up and jumping off the top bunk.

Ever since Toshiro had been injured by that Adjuchas in Shirakawa, Kubo had been nicer to him. Toshiro wasn’t entirely sure why, but much of the squad were better with him now. Kubo still didn’t get his paperwork delivered on time, but at least he was friendlier.

Kubo led him next door to their neighbouring barracks. Squad Eleven had a bad reputation, they always had – they were violent, volatile and vociferous. Toshiro didn’t mind them, however. He had always got on well with their third seat Ikkaku, and he had sat with their fifth seat Yumichika to help him with his squad’s paperwork as it all seemed to get dumped on him. Captain Zaraki was terrifying though, and Lieutenant Kusajishi even more so if one didn’t have candy for her when she asked. Luckily the captain was often asleep, and Toshiro had learned long ago to always keep a spare lollypop in his pocket in case of an unexpected visit from the pink haired girl.

Luckily, Toshiro and Kubo managed to avoid both of the division’s top seats, and they caught up with Kubo’s friend as he was coming back from dinner. Toshiro didn’t catch the man’s name, his accent was thick and his words slurred with alcohol, but he led them to his old fish tank.

It was the perfect size; about as long as Toshiro was tall, and about as high as his hip, and just about as wide. It wouldn’t fit in the dormitories but it would fit perfectly in the captain’s office.

“It’s perfect,” Toshiro grinned, as Kubo smirked. “Tobio will love it.”

“Tobio?” Kubo questioned.

Toshiro nodded and Kubo rolled his eyes, though it was more playful than condescending.

The tank was heavy, but between the two of them and the drunk guy, they managed to get it back to the Squad Ten gates where other soldiers saw them struggling and ran over to help. They had it in the office in no time, and thankfully neither Isshin nor Rangiku were around to protest the location of the lizard’s new home.

Toshiro thanked Kubo for his help before the sixth seat trotted off to dinner. Toshiro could hardly eat dinner at a time like this; he was far too excited!

Moving over to the office phone on Isshin’s desk, Toshiro made some calls and within the hour was setting up Tobio’s new habitat with the items he had ordered from other divisions. When he was done, the old fish tank was cleaned and set up. There was a generous water section in which Tobio could swim, play and relax, while the other side was dry. It had a pebble base, many larger rocks to bask on, a number of branches to climb and some other fun greenery features to give the tank some life. Toshiro had a heat lamp set up over the biggest rock, where Tobio could lie all day if he pleased.

“Welcome home,” Toshiro grinned, placing the lizard gently in the enclosure.

He tossed in some crickets for Tobio to eat before zipping over the netted lid he had made so plenty of oxygen could get in, even if Tobio would have to listen to Rangiku’s incessant gossiping in the office and wailing when she didn’t get her own way.

Toshiro dragged a chair over to the tank and watched happily as Tobio munched on a cricket and explored his new home. He was still moving slowly, no doubt getting used to being one leg down, but he seemed happy enough. Not distressed by any means, and after a day or two, he’d grow comfortable there.

“Why is there is a fish tank in my office?” Isshin’s voice was exasperated from the doorway.

Toshiro grinned over his shoulder at the tired captain.

“It’s a lizard tank now, Captain,” Toshiro informed him. “Tobio’s new home.”

Isshin inhaled and then sighed before he walked over to investigate the set up.

“I suppose I should be glad you weren’t planning on having it sleep in your bunk with you,” the captain murmured. “Where did you get all this stuff?”

“Here and there,” Toshiro shrugged, and told him about Kubo helping him with the tank.

“Have you eaten dinner?” Isshin frowned then, realising the gap in the story.

Toshiro grimaced internally; Isshin didn’t like it when he skipped meals.

“Not yet,” Toshiro answered quietly before he gestured to where the lizard was munching down another cricket, “but Tobio has.”

Needless to say, Isshin’s expression was unimpressed.

“Go have dinner please,” the captain ordered with his strict voice and pointed to the door.

Toshiro pouted as he bowed.

“Yes, Sir.”

He scurried to the door, figuring if he ate dinner quickly, he could return quickly. A last glance over his shoulder told Toshiro his captain was staring down at the lizard in the tank, hands on his hips and shaking his head.

* * *

A week passed and Tobio appeared fully settled in his new tank.

Despite Isshin telling Toshiro he would have to release the lizard once its leg was fully healed, the captain hadn’t mentioned it since. The third seat hoped the topic wouldn’t come up again as he loved his new friend.

He looked after Tobio very well and to the book’s suggestions.

Over the week, he had added to the tank to make sure the lizard had plenty of hiding spots for when Tobio needed to be alone and feel safe, and he added more greenery to make the tank feel more natural.

Tobio seemed to really like it, settling in effortlessly, and Toshiro felt like he could read the reptile well enough to know that was true. He would need to add to it again as Tobio grew bigger but for now it was a good size.

The lizard basked under his light most of the time, but he often enjoyed swimming and climbing his rocks, and of course, eating his insects. The lack of a fourth leg, and by extension a fourth set of claws, was obviously hindering his tree climbing ability though. Other than that, the lizard seemed happy enough.

Rangiku had thankfully warmed to the idea of having a lizard in the office, just as Toshiro knew she would. Yesterday she had even been brave enough to hold Tobio for a few minutes, even if she spent the whole time with an uneasy, somewhat-disgusted expression and had bit her lip to stop from shrieking.

“Make sure you wash your hands before dinner,” Isshin sighed, watching Toshiro place Tobio gently back into his tank after his daily afternoon cuddle. “He’s probably got parasites.”

“He hasn’t got parasites,” Toshiro pouted at that. “You shouldn’t offend him like that.”

“He can’t hear me,” Isshin commented dryly.

“He’s not a snake,” Toshiro scoffed. “He’s not deaf.”

Though close enough to it, and he probably didn’t know Japanese, but Toshiro didn’t feel the need to point that out.

“Wash your hands,” Isshin repeated more firmly.

Toshiro held the sigh back and went to wash his hands in the office bathroom. He had spent the last half hour handling the dragon, and parasites or not, Toshiro always washed his hands after their cuddles.

‘Cuddles’ being the lizard sat his hand and let Toshiro stroke his head gently. He was a very gentle reptile, and was happy to held, which the third seat loved. He also had quite the personality.

Today Rukia had come over to meet Tobio and she, like Toshiro, wasn’t afraid to hold the lizard or play with it. She was so cool.

Upon returning from the bathroom, he found Isshin standing in front of the tank with a frown on his face.

“Captain?”

“Why is he doing that?” Isshin asked, nodding down to the lizard.

Toshiro glanced down at Tobio, seeing the lizard waving his arm. He had one of his front legs up and moving in a circular motion, palm facing Isshin.

“Fear,” Toshiro answered. “He is saying he is aware of your presence, acknowledges you as the dominate creature and doesn’t want you to hurt him.”

“I’m not going to hurt him,” Isshin scoffed.

Toshiro shrugged, “He doesn’t know that.”

Isshin’s frown deepened.

They continued to watch the water dragon as it continued to wave its arm. After a few minutes, Tobio stopped and hurried into one of his hides.

“He’ll get used to you,” Toshiro murmured, sending Isshin a cheeky smirk. “Maybe when you try holding him… and maybe if he knows his stay here is permanent…”

Isshin rolled his eyes, shaking his head despite the slight chuckle from his lips.

“Of all animals,” he exhaled, “you like lizards?”

“I like most animals,” Toshiro pointed out, “but only lizards like me back, even with my colder skin. They can sense Hyorinmaru and his connection to them.”

The third seat would love a dog or cat as a pet, he honestly would; something fluffy to cuddle, something playful to spend time with. Alas they also sensed Hyorinmaru in him, and they didn’t like that, much like Souls in the Rukongai.

He felt Isshin’s eyes regard him so he internalised the grimace.

“Well,” the captain sighed again. “I suppose you’ve put a lot of work into his enclosure… and it’s clear he isn’t going to last long in the wild with that leg…”

Toshiro’s eyes lit up as he turned to his captain.

“Do you mean…?”

“I mean,” Isshin drawled, like he still wasn’t totally sold on the idea but he was too far in to back out now. “I suppose you can keep him.”

Toshiro gasped, hand coming up to cover his mouth.

“Provided,” Isshin cut back in quickly, holding up a finger to Toshiro, “you take full responsibility for his care.”

“I will!” Toshiro nodded quickly.

“That means feeding him as often as he needs,” Isshin lectured him. “It means cleaning out his tank and his water. It means-”

Isshin was cut off as Toshiro launched himself at the man, hugging him tightly around the middle.

“Thank you, Captain!” Toshiro gushed. “I will look after him.”

Isshin exhaled and Toshiro felt the man put one of his hands on Toshiro’s back and the other gently on top of his head.

“A lizard wouldn’t have been my first choice for a pet for you,” the captain muttered, “but I am grateful it’s not a boar.”

“A boar?” Toshiro asked, frowning as he pulled his head back and tilted it to look up at his captain.

“Ganju,” Isshin answered with a huff. “He’s had three and called them all ‘Bonnie-chan’. I think he wants another one. They’re awful creatures.”

Toshiro chuckled at that, returning his head to Isshin’s warm stomach.

“I promise to never ask for a boar,” Toshiro smirked.

“Not even if it had an injured leg?”

“Oh, I hadn’t considered that,” Toshiro gasped.

“Please don’t!” Isshin chuckled nervously.

Toshiro said nothing to that, but grinned madly against his captain.

“Oh no, are we keeping the lizard?” Rangiku’s voice sounded from the door way and Toshiro looked up to see the lieutenant, her expression uneasy.

“Yep,” Toshiro clicked his tongue. “Captain said I could!”

Rangiku shot Isshin a knowing look that was equal parts entertained and disapproving.

“I knew you would cave,” she muttered, shaking her hand.

“Sorry Rangiku,” Isshin squeezed Toshiro before releasing him. “Kids should have pets.”

“Just not a boar,” Toshiro laughed, turning back to the tank and spotting Tobio’s head peering out of his hide. “Tobio, you get to stay here with me!”

The lizard didn’t react, not until Toshiro threw another cricket in there for him. He emerged from his hide and munched up the lizard quickly. The third seat grinned down at the lizard.

He had pet!

He felt Isshin and Rangiku’s eyes on him, but he could tell they were smiling, happy for him even though they didn’t really care for his new friend.

“Welcome to the Ten family, Tobio,” Toshiro murmured, beaming down at the water dragon.

Inside him, Hyorinmaru purred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I don’t know how to look after a lizard, please do your research if I have somehow convinced you to get one xD
> 
> TWO WEEKS UNTIL NEXT UPDATE! I’m away next week and not home until late Sunday night so to take the pressure off trying to get a chapter up, I am going to take next weekend off. The next chapter will go up 23rd August! See you all then :) Stay safe~


	24. Fort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rangiku hated storms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back, Me! It felt weird not posting last week, thanks everyone for your patience!

Rangiku knew a storm was coming. Not for the charcoal coloured clouds looming over the Seireitei ominously, not from the static in the air or smell of approaching rain.

Rangiku knew a storm was coming from the way Toshiro’s mood shifted after the third seat’s afternoon nap. He had started groggy, almost lazy as he returned to his paperwork, but an hour later he stopped to stare out the window for a moment. After that he became excited; the first time he had grinned in three days since the weather had been hot and sticky.

A summer storm was approaching; the only reason Toshiro tolerated summer, and the only reason Rangiku had to dislike the hot season.

Rangiku hated storms. Heavy rain was fine, unless it made her hair go frizzy, but storms were just awful. Thunder in particular was what Rangiku hated – each loud clap had her burying her face in her pillows, her bedcovers pulled all the way over her head as her body would tremble like a leaf. She hated thunder – it reminded her of one too many bad nights in the Rukongai before Gin had found her.

It felt kind of pathetic for a grown woman to still be so afraid of a little bit of lightning and the loud noise that followed, but the lieutenant hadn’t grown out of it. Normally Gin would be with her on days like today – first in the Rukongai, then later in the Seireitei; he always came over and stayed to comfort her.

But now they had broken up. Now Rangiku was on her own.

She was terrified.

“I wonder if Captain will get wet coming back from his meeting?” Toshiro mused, though he didn’t sound all concerned as he stood by the window, his hands and face pressed into the glass as he stared at the clouds.

He was basically bouncing on his toes.

Hyorinmaru’s wielder would love storms, Rangiku supposed, since his first power was to conjure one.

Rangiku swallowed, her knuckles white around the tea cup in her hands. It was a miracle the china hadn’t shattered in her tight grip yet.

“Hopefully not,” Rangiku murmured quietly.

Right now she was torn – between going home to suffer alone and without worrying about how pathetic she looked fearing a relatively common weather event, or whether she should stay in the office with Toshiro and Isshin (when he returned) so at least she had the company, even though she would be thoroughly embarrassed.

“Do you think he will let me train out in the storm?” the boy asked then, before he must have caught sight of a flash of lightning and made an excited gasp.

Rangiku closed her eyes and counted the seconds.

One, two, three, four, five, six- _distant rumble._

The lieutenant’s eyes fluttered back open.

Six seconds. Divide by three.

Two kilometres. That’s how far away the storm was.

_It wasn’t far enough._

Even Toshiro’s lizard, Tobio, knew what was to come as Rangiku spied the reptile in the tank at the end of the office quickly disappear into one of its’ hides for the night.

“I don’t think he will,” Rangiku answered Toshiro’s initial question as she tried to take a breath. “Captain doesn’t like you training in the rain.”

Isshin surely couldn’t like him training out in the lightning either, especially with a metal sword.

Toshiro pouted before peeling himself away from the window. He all but skipped over to the couch where Rangiku was sitting and jumped up onto the cushion beside her.

“What if I stayed undercover?” he asked, those big teal eyes full of life and playfulness now, beaming in excitement. “I could train in the quad!”

There was another rumble of thunder, one that was slightly louder and Rangiku’s muscles tensed. She closed her eyes again and tried to shrug.

“You’ll have to ask the captain when he comes back,” she managed, her throat tightening.

There was a moment of silence. Well, silence from Toshiro – outside it started to rain. The drops were gentle at first on the roof of the office but after a moment they grew heavier. Rangiku swallowed; it was almost getting too late to make the dash to her quarters but she still hadn’t decided what to do.

“Lieutenant…” Toshiro’s voice was softer now, unsure of himself. “Are- are you okay?”

Rangiku nodded stiffly, but then another rumble of thunder, that was louder again and much closer to a clap, sounded overhead and Rangiku flinched, tensing again. In her hand, the tea cup finally gave way, cracking and breaking in her unforgiving grip.

“Lieutenant!” Toshiro gasped and Rangiku opened her eyes when she felt the boy’s little hands over hers.

She didn’t know what to say as the young third seat shook the broken pieces of tea cup from her hands and turned over her palms, revealing a myriad small cuts that’s were beginning to bleed. He didn’t hesitate in starting healing kido, the muted green light glowing around his hands as they warmed Rangiku’s and took away the sting.

“What’s the matter?” he asked her, and when Rangiku looked up at him, shock and worry was etched all over his innocent face, his earlier excitement forgotten.

“It’s nothing,” Rangiku answered, her voice just louder than the bucketing rain above them. Toshiro’s expression was disbelieving.

“Is it about… you know?” he asked cautiously, and Rangiku knew he meant Gin.

“No,” Rangiku shook her head and tried to smile at the boy. “It’s silly, it doesn’t matter.”

Imagine telling a little boy a grown woman was scared of a bit of thunder?

“If it matters to you, it matters,” Toshiro informed her matter-of-factly, causing Rangiku to chuckle involuntarily.

That was a new phrase the boy had picked up, and Rangiku sensed Mari was to blame, even if it had come through Isshin.

The lieutenant sighed as Toshiro’s hands stopped healing her and they drew back into his lap. Her hands were perfectly healed and Rangiku reached down to collect the broken sections of the tea cup from the floor. Thankfully it had been empty so there was no spilt tea but she would need to run a broom over it so none of them stepped on any hidden shards later.

“I just don’t like storms very much,” Rangiku admitted softly, feeling Toshiro’s eyes boring into her still.

“You don’t like storms?” Toshiro asked, voice surprised and when she looked over at him, his jaw was dropped, like he couldn’t comprehend that.

Rangiku got up and collected the broom and dustpan from the kitchen, returning to sweep up the rest of the tea cup from the floor.

“It just reminds me of my Rukongai days,” the lieutenant sighed. “Before Gin. I always slept under trees and one time during a storm, a tree near mine was struck. It was so loud, I almost jumped out of my skin and my ears ached for weeks after. That tree collapsed on mine and nearly killed me… _again_.”

She had chuckled at the last bit, trying to make a joke of it, but the whole ordeal had been terrifying. She had run and run, through multiple districts while ignoring the cat calls she got even then, until she had collapsed from hunger and that was when Gin had found her.

Toshiro seemed to mull over the words silently, which Rangiku was almost grateful for except she could hear the rain getting louder as the storm moved over the Seireitei and closer to the Squad Ten barracks.

She didn’t know if Toshiro understood her fear or not. He had lived on the streets of the Rukongai too, and no doubt experienced a storm or two during his time there, but now his powers were heavily connected to the weather that he couldn’t afford to be afraid of it. _Toshiro was a storm._

“Do you want me to make it go away?” the boy asked seriously then. “I can do it.”

He seemed uncertain, but Rangiku suspected that was more to do with what Isshin would say about him using his powers like that, and not about his ability to actually do it.

“No,” Rangiku answered quickly and firmly. “You can’t abuse your powers like that, even for me.”

“I don’t want you to be scared,” Toshiro murmured sadly.

Rangiku sighed and shook her head.

“Don’t worry about me,” she tried to assure him.

Of course that was the moment that lightning decided to flash brightly through the windows and a second later (too soon for Rangiku to prepare), a clap of thunder tore through the small office so loud and abrupt, it caused Rangiku to drop her broom and cover her ears, a whimper leaving her lips as her eyes clenched shut. The office almost seemed to shake under the storm, or maybe it was her who was shaking.

A moment later she felt thin arms come around her waist and she realised Toshiro was trying to give her a hug. He wasn’t usually one for obvious physical affection, but Rangiku had seen him opening up to it more and more as he grew comfortable with her and Isshin over the years, and he always made exceptions to cheer someone up.

“It’s okay, Lieutenant,” he told her, though his voice was muffled as she still had her ears covered, and his arms squeezed her gently. “You’re safe with me.”

Rangiku choked on a chuckle. This boy was a little Isshin in the making and she didn’t deserve him.

Exhaling shakily and pulling her hands away from her ears, Rangiku returned the boy’s hug and cracked an eye open to look down at the kid. The boy had turned his head, resting his cheek against her stomach as his arms tightened as much as they could around her.

Rangiku relaxed for a moment, but tensed just as quickly as the lights around the office flickered in uncertainty. Great, now the power was probably going to go out. What was worse than enduring a storm? Enduring it in the dark.

Toshiro pulled back from her suddenly.

“I have an idea!” he announced and that earlier excitement was flooding back into his eyes. “Give me five minutes.”

Before Rangiku could even answer, he was leading her back into the kitchen.

“You make the hot chocolates,” he ordered her, his tone leaving no room for disagreement as he suddenly decided to outrank her. “You make them best. Better make one for Captain too, I think he will be home soon.”

Rangiku went to argue, or at least ask for an explanation, but the boy was running off.

Sighing, the lieutenant turned back to the kitchen. She caught a glance of herself in the reflection of the window, and her face was completely pale – easily whiter than Toshiro’s hair. She tried to calm herself as she began making the hot chocolates. Yes she did make the best ones, even though she had to remember to put less salt in Toshiro and Isshin’s cups as they didn’t have her strong tastebuds.

Focusing, Rangiku made the hot drinks and thankfully no _super loud_ thunder hit in those few minutes. Just as she was finishing up, Toshiro returned and he was once again bouncing on the balls of his feet. He had changed into his sleeping yukata and he held out one for her.

“Get changed,” he handed her the garment. “I’ll take these.”

Again, before Rangiku could even ask what he was up to, the boy had snatched up the steaming mugs and hurried off with them, only slowing when she called back for him not to run with hot liquid. She was going to tell him off for carrying three at a time but she supposed they were safer with him than they were with her right now. The shattered tea cup from earlier was proof of that.

Changing quickly into her fluffy pink sleeping yukata (she’d done away with the standard black uniform ones years ago), Rangiku flinched as another loud clap of thunder had the lights flickering again. Toshiro was back in an instant, his eyes covered in case he walked in on her changing.

“Are you ready?” he asked, hand out for her to take.

Rangiku would have been swooning at how cute he was being but her throat felt too tight, her voice not to be trusted. Instead she simply reached out and took his hand.

Toshiro’s other hand fell away from his eyes to look up at her. He beamed in excitement before he turned and led her back out into the main office area.

Rangiku gasped slightly at the sight before she began to chuckle.

Toshiro had built a blanket fort. From the outside, he appeared to have hung some sheets over the two couches that sat opposite each other, and had used his and Isshin’s desk chairs to prop the sheet up higher on each side.

“Come on,” the boy said with giddiness and he pulled the lieutenant inside the fort.

Inside was possibly even more impressive.

Toshiro had taken the couch cushions off and placed them on the floor in the middle to make a padded floor. He also appeared to have dragged his own mattress in from his bunk in the dorms. He had brought in pillows to lean against the base of the couches as back rests and brought in plenty of blankets. The coffee table that normally sat between the two couches was turned and pushed to the side, becoming the side table with their hot chocolates on them. He had found some of the good biscuits that Isshin had hidden away so Rangiku wouldn’t eat them all and put them on a plate.

Best of all, he had found some old white Christmas lights, and had them stung up along the blanket ceiling. It looked magical, and it felt like a sanctuary.

“We will be safe from the storm in here,” Toshiro told her. “I brought torches if the power goes out and some games to play.”

Rangiku couldn’t help but grin as she crawled further into the fort and made herself comfortable.

“This is a really good idea, Toshiro,” she told the boy.

It was. Rangiku didn’t know why sitting under a blanket on a cushion felt safer than sitting on the couch without a blanket roof, but somehow it did.

Toshiro tucked a blanket around her before he settled close to her, so close that he was practically curled into her side as she handed him a hot chocolate.

They started playing a card game first so they could use their free hands to drink. Lightning could still be seen casting quick flashes of light over their sheet walls and instantly the thunder would hit. Toshiro would grab her hand as she tried to bite back the whimper, before they continued on like they hadn’t heard a thing.

After a while, they heard the office door slide open, and a moment later, Isshin’s voice.

“What is going on here?” the captain laughed.

Toshiro grinned at Rangiku before he crawled away, sticking his head out of the fort.

“Blanket fort pyjama party, Captain!” the boy answered happily. “We made you a hot chocolate!”

Isshin’s voice had a grin to it as it often did when he saw Toshiro acting like the kid he actually was.

“Give me a minute to change then,” he chuckled.

Toshiro hummed and returned inside the blanket, immediately settling back into Rangiku’s side. Their cards lay abandoned for a moment as he cuddled close to her, his arm thrown over her waist. Though she was still very much aware of the storm gaining intensity overhead, Rangiku felt calmer now. Toshiro had that effect on her, she wasn’t sure why. Ever since her break up with Gin, he had been at her side most moments of the day, always wanting to spend time with her. She supposed he was trying to cheer her up, or to fill the hole in her heart.

Whatever the case, Rangiku was utterly grateful for his presence.

It wasn’t the same as having Gin, but it was different kind of good. A different kind of love, one that was pure and beautiful, and was never going to turn on her. This was family love, and Rangiku found that much more reliable.

“Are you feeling better?” Toshiro asked softly as two teal eyes peaked up at her.

Rangiku hummed, and let her free hand fall into Toshiro’s hair, stroking it softly.

“Storms might not be so bad with you by my side,” she squeezed the boy gently, “especially if we can build blanket forts again.”

Toshiro hummed and closed his eyes, sinking down to lay his head in her lap.

“This is my new favourite way to pass a storm,” Toshiro murmured against her.

“You don’t want to be out there training?” Rangiku teased.

“No,” the boy sighed. “I want to be in here with you.”

Rangiku had to purse her lips to hold back a flood of emotion that was threatening her. This kid was the purest Soul she had ever met. Isshin had been afraid he would lose his heart in becoming a Soul Reaper but it seemed they didn’t have to worry about that. Not even the ice in his soul could freeze his warm heart.

The lieutenant leaned over and pressed a chaste kiss into the boy’s hair, passing her thanks and gratitude to him.

Isshin’s entrance to the office went unheard with the even heavier rain this time, but they felt his Spiritual Pressure approach and a moment later, he was crawling into the fort, looking far too big for it.

Rangiku giggled when the captain managed to sit beside them, his head almost touching the blanket roof, his limbs folding awkwardly under him as he tried to fit and get comfortable.

“I see you’ve found the chocolate biscuits,” Isshin sighed once he was settled, glancing at the plate and narrowing his eyes.

Rangiku snatched one up quickly in case he was going to take them away, while Toshiro grinned cheekily.

“I’ve always known where you’ve hidden them, Captain,” he smirked, pulling himself back into a sitting position.

The captain sighed again, this time in resignation.

“I suppose it’s biscuits for dinner tonight then?” Isshin sent Toshiro a disapproving look as the boy grinned and nodded, reaching for a biscuit too and the rest of his hot chocolate.

The captain’s expression was grim but he didn’t argue, reaching for the last hot chocolate and sipping on it. He didn’t ask why they had built a fort in the middle of the office, but Rangiku suspected he knew when another clap of thunder – the loudest one by far – had Rangiku gasping and covering her ears again. She felt a strong, burly arm that could only belong to her captain come around her shoulders and pull her into his side. He said nothing, continuing to talk to Toshiro about his meeting today with the Head Captain, but the gesture spoke a thousand words.

The power eventually cut off in the middle of a game of ‘Go Fish’ but luckily Toshiro’s torches did the trick as they finished off their game. Rangiku was so distracted by it all, she found herself no longer being scared – she was too busy yelling at Isshin to give up his Eights.

Toshiro finished his hot chocolate and another few biscuits before he wrapped himself in a blanket of his own and squeezed himself between them with a book.

Isshin read to them quietly, but they heard him over the rain. Toshiro fell asleep quickly to the sound of his captain’s voice, his hand entwined with Rangiku’s and playing loosely with her fingers until he drifted off. Rangiku’s own eyes felt heavy as she snuggled closer to him and her captain; she felt safe, warm and, even as thunder clapped again, calm. She knew everything was going to be okay, and that this storm would pass soon too, because she had her two favourite men beside her and they would do anything to look after her.

* * *

Rangiku woke early, after yet another terrible dream about Gin.

She opened her eyes blearily and lifted her head just enough to see her surroundings.

They were still in the blanket fort, all three of them. Isshin must have shifted them slightly last night so they were all lying down across the cushions instead of sitting against the couches. It was a tight but it didn’t matter because they were all snuggled close anyway.

Isshin laid on his side, his arm stretched out under both Toshiro and Rangiku’s heads. His lips were slightly parted and his snores soft and soothing. Toshio was squeezed between them but he slept on peacefully, his blanket kicked off in the heat. Rangiku grinned and reached for the blanket, pulling it back up to his waist so he wouldn’t grow cold with the early morning chill.

The lieutenant settled back down, head on Isshin’s arm and her own arm thrown casually over Toshiro beside her.

Overhead, the rain was softer but constant, and no thunder could be heard.

She closed her eyes and went back to sleep, the dream of Gin forgotten easily, and the storm long passed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please drop a comment & kudos if you’re still following this story, I really appreciate them :)
> 
> Next week we’re all going camping! Pack light xoxo


	25. Camping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toshiro, Rangiku and the Shibas go camping.

Isshin’s eyes scanned the large clearing in the forest – nice, even ground with short lush grass, plenty of surrounding trees and, best of all, a wide plunge pool at the base of a gushing waterfall, the water of which was crystal clear.

“This will be perfect,” the captain announced, turning back to his troop.

Well, less _troop_ , more _family._

Rangiku groaned dramatically in relief, making a show of dropping her bag off her back.

“Finally,” she moaned as Isshin rolled his eyes. “That bag was so heavy and we’ve been walking for hours.”

Around her, the Shibas filed into the clearing and dropped their bags with tired sighs and huffs, though they didn’t complain as much. Toshiro, who was almost the same size as his bag, fell backwards as he tried to take it off. He turtled on his back for a moment until Isshin walked past with a sigh, picking him up by the top handle of his bag and standing him back up.

“Your bag wouldn’t be so heavy if you didn’t insist on bringing all those clothes and cosmetics, Rangiku,” Isshin told the lieutenant sternly as he helped Toshiro get his bag off without falling over again. He turned his pointed look on the boy then. “And you wouldn’t keep falling over if you hadn’t packed all those books.”

“You said to bring things to entertain myself,” Toshiro frowned, rolling his shoulder once the bag came off.

“I meant like a deck of cards or some spinning tops,” Isshin told him. “Small, light things.”

Toshiro shrugged, reaching into his bag and grinning as he pulled out ‘The Tales of Toshiro’. Isshin couldn’t help but smile at that too – Toshiro must have read that book a hundred times by now, but he just loved it.

“Novices,” Isshin muttered, straightening and ruffling Toshiro’s hair as he went, “the both of you.”

“Well sorry,” Rangiku huffed. “Toshiro and I don’t understand why you would want to go camping anyway. It’s like living on the streets of the Rukongai, but _for fun_.”

“It’s not that bad,” Isshin sighed. “Camping is great.”

Every year since Isshin had been a boy, his father had taken his family on a camping holiday. They would hike for hours in the deep Rukongai forests to find the perfect spots and would spend a few nights telling stories around the campfire and sleeping under the stars. The clan hadn’t been camping in years though, not since the passing of Isshin’s father, so the captain had decided his family needed to get back to some old traditions.

Isshin had invited Toshiro, seeing as the boy had once again managed to overwork himself to the point of exhaustion and refused to take off his holiday days; the captain suspected Toshiro didn’t like to use his holiday days because he had nowhere to go with no one to go with, so with that in mind, convincing the boy to join the Shiba clan camping trip was relatively easy. Eavesdropping and not wishing to be left out, Rangiku had all but demanded she be invited too.

The Head Captain must have been in an excellent mood that morning, because he had approved Isshin’s request to have the top three seats in his division take a holiday together.

Takeo was in charge until they got back, but since Hollow activity had been fairly light recently, Isshin was sure the fourth seat could handle it with the help of his fellow seated officers. Toshiro had had a strict word with Takeo about not messing up the paperwork and, more importantly, remembering to feed Tobio, Toshiro’s pet water dragon.

“It looks like we’re going to lose light soon,” Isshin informed the group, eyeing the sky which was taking a darker tinge of blue, some grey clouds forming. “We best get set up now.”

Everyone nodded and set to work setting up their tents, the campfire and the awning under which they would cook and eat if it rained. 

Kukaku and Mari set up their shared tent on the softest part of the grass and close to the awning. Ganju had brought a one-man swag to sleep in and had set it up at the furthest possible point in the clearing away from the rest of the set up. Kaien and Miyako had brought a modest little tent, and of course Kaien had gravitated naturally towards the waterfall to set up. Isshin guided Toshiro quickly to a nice spot that would be quiet enough – Isshin planned to sleep in and didn’t want the early risers in the family to wake him up, and he also planned on putting Toshiro to bed at his regular bedtime, so it would help the boy to be away from the communal set up. Looking entirely unsure of herself, Rangiku followed them.

Rangiku had purchased a brand new tent for the occasion, and boy was that thing a monster. Isshin had to help her set it up, leaving Toshiro to set up their tent – despite probably never seeing one in his afterlife let alone setting it up, Toshiro (ever the prodigy and genius) got a handle on it instantly. Meanwhile, Rangiku’s tent was huge and had three rooms to it, and even Kaien and Ganju had to come over and help with it. 

Of course her air mattress was queen sized, while the rest of them all had singles. Thankfully blowing up the mattresses was made easy with a bit of help from the Soul Reaper powers around the clearing – a little bit of kido-born wind manipulation didn’t hurt anyone.

“This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen,” Ganju muttered next to Isshin and the captain nodded.

They were standing in the ‘entrance lobby’ of Rangiku’s humongous tent, watching the lieutenant swan around the rooms placing décor around to ‘liven things up’. 

Décor – in a _tent._

“How did she fit all that in her bag?” Ganju asked with a grunt and Isshin shrugged.

“The humans call this ‘glamping’,” Rangiku told them happily, as she pulled a fluffy pink rug out of her bag and shooed them out of the way so she could place it at the entrance. “Glamorous camping.”

“Glamorous camping,” Isshin echoed the words, his tone not quite believing.

Only Rangiku Matsumoto could make camping ‘glamorous’.

Sighing and leaving her to it, Isshin returned to his tent to find Toshiro sitting on the floor, unpacking his books at the foot of his mattress.

Their tent, compared to Rangiku's, was tiny. It was tall enough that Toshiro could stand under the centre of it without his head touching the top, but Isshin would have to duck. They had their two mattresses laid down side by side, and there was enough room to walk between them and to spread their bags out.

“Come on, Kid,” Isshin gestured the boy up. “Let’s get this campfire set up.”

They emerged from the tent to find Mari and Miyako already starting on dinner, cutting up some vegetables and setting up the portable gas cookers they had, while Kaien and Kukaku tied off the last corner of the awning overhead. Ganju appeared to be collecting some firewood so Isshin instructed Toshiro to go help while he set up the fire pit, creating a wall of rocks around it.

Ganju returned with some bigger logs while Toshiro had collected the kindling, and with another convenient use of his powers, Isshin lit the fire effortlessly. They dragged some camp chairs around the fire and sat down comfortably with some sake (or in Toshiro’s case, water), waiting for dinner.

The first night was relatively quiet; clearly the walk had tired everyone out, and the alcohol and big plate of Mari’s special stir fry had certainly not helped them. Toshiro, being that he was already so exhausted, was practically nodding off in his chair. Isshin decided to call it a night when the boy almost fell out of it.

“‘M not tired,” Toshiro’s voice was partly slurred as Isshin pulled him up and pushed his toothbrush in his hand.

“Neither am I,” Isshin humoured him, his grin thankfully hidden in the dark, “but everyone is going to bed now too.”

Toshiro blinked tiredly at the campfire, around which the adults were dispersing for bed. The captain was grateful the others were winding down now too, because if they had still been up, Toshiro would surely have tried to push himself to stay awake.

Finally, they were getting into their beds and Isshin groaned, lowering himself down to the air mattress and struggling his way inside the sleeping bag. There was a reason he had done away with the traditional futon and invested in proper beds in bed frames for both his bedrooms at the manor and then Tenth – he was getting too old to be sleeping on the floor like that. He didn’t want to admit it but the walk today had taken its toll on his muscles as well.

“Are you ready for me to turn off the-”

Isshin stuttered on his words, silencing himself when he glanced at the mattress next to him to find Toshiro already fast asleep. The boy must have fallen asleep the moment he laid back because his sleeping bag was still around his knees.

Stifling a laugh, Isshin helped him into it properly, shushing the kid gently when he groaned tiredly and mumbled for Isshin to ‘go away’. 

Once all the way in his sleeping bag, Toshiro settled quickly again, and Isshin couldn’t help but pinch his cheek playfully.

“Not tired,” Isshin scoffed quietly, remembering Toshiro’s lie from before.

Grinning, the captain laid back on his own mattress.

He reached for the flashlight and turned it off, plunging the tent into darkness.

He rolled over and closed his eyes, slowly but surely falling asleep to the gentle sounds of nature – the leaves in the breeze, the gushing waterfall, and the chirping crickets.

* * *

The next morning, Isshin woke to the sounds of gentle but constant rain hitting the side of the tent.

The captain blinked, reaching for Soul Phone and checking the time. He thought it had been early, but upon flipping open his phone, the captain saw it was well past when he normally started work. It was even more of a surprise to find Toshiro still totally asleep.

The kid was an early riser normally, but clearly had been just exhausted. The rain helped too, Isshin was sure of it, since Toshiro’s powers had such heavy ties to the weather and he often reacted to changes in the weather emotionally – storms excited him, snow made him happy and playful, hot and sunny weather made him irritable. Rain, especially gentle rain like this morning, seemed to calm him.

Isshin could hear some of his family up, chatting just over the rain, but he took a few more minutes to lie in his camp bed and simply enjoy the sounds of the rain.

Eventually it was Kukaku’s loud and brash voice that got Isshin up and out of the tent. The captain yawned and stretched his arm as he dashed quickly towards the awning, finding Kukaku cooking some eggs while Mari, Miyako and Kaien sat on the small table under the awning eating their breakfast.

“Good morning, Sweetheart,” Mari beamed at him when he approached. “Did you sleep okay?”

Isshin nodded, “Slept better than I thought on an air mattress. When did it start raining?”

“Around three in the morning,” Kaien answered. “This is the heaviest it’s been since then but I think it will ease off this afternoon.”

Like Toshiro, Kaien also seemed to feel the shifts in the weather before they happened. Isshin supposed it was because the two of them had water-based elements tied to their souls. Though Isshin was an elemental too, albeit at the opposite end of the scale, he never felt connected to the weather.

“I hope the rain stops by tonight,” Kukaku chimed in, cracking some more eggs in her pan for Isshin. “I want to let off some fireworks.”

Isshin hummed, “I am glad for it this morning. Toshiro is still fast asleep thanks to the rain.”

“He needed that long sleep, didn’t he?” Mari sighed. “The boy works too hard.”

Isshin snorted – that was an understatement.

As a captain and father-type figure, Isshin felt responsible of Toshiro. He gave the boy a bedtime, and was strict about making sure he did go to bed at that time, even though it was “earlier than the other guys’ bedtimes”. Isshin more than happily pointed out that the other soldiers weren’t children, much to Toshiro’s offence.

Still, he couldn’t always help it if Toshiro was up at five and heading into the office or out to the training grounds. The kid was a machine – a sneaky machine that tiptoed quietly around the barracks while his captain was sleeping.

Isshin settled at the portable table with his breakfast as Rangiku finally emerged from her tent. She was dressed and had a full face of makeup on. She ran from her tent to the awning, using a magazine to cover her hair from the rain.

She looked mopey and flopped tiredly into the nearest chair under the cover.

“Where is the sun?” she complained. “I wanted to tan today. I need my Vitamin D.”

“Here’s a coffee instead,” Kukaku laughed, placing a freshly brewed pot in the centre of the table.

The lieutenant grimaced, and started pouring coffees for everyone.

The rest of the morning went quietly, as Kaien went for a swim in the deeper-than-expected plunge pool (despite the fact it was cold and raining), Rangiku painted her nails and read her magazine, and Miyako, Mari and Kukaku took to playing a card game. Isshin snuck back to his tent to borrow one of Toshiro’s books – finding the boy still soundly asleep though he had since rolled over – and returned to the awning to read.

Ganju too slept on, but no one expected to see him before midday any day of the week.

Surprisingly, it was closer to lunchtime than breakfast when Toshiro finally woke and emerged from the tent, walking slowly through the rain like it didn’t bother him.

“Well good morning, Sleepyhead,” Isshin teased the boy as he approached but Toshiro seemed unfazed, yawning and climbing straight up onto Isshin’s chair and into the captain’s lap.

The captain grinned, hugging the damp boy close as he settled with his head against the captain’s shoulder.

Granted, there were no other chairs left now that hadn’t got wet overnight and Isshin had unconsciously opened his arms for the boy. Still, Isshin was elated every time Toshiro showed him affection, and it was becoming more frequent as the years wore on, especially when they were out of sight from the rest of the squad.

“Do you want some breakfast?” Isshin asked him but the boy shook his head, his eyes closed and looking like he was ready to fall asleep again.

Mari, who had caught the moment, just chuckled and shook her head.

“I’ll get him a small plate,” she murmured, standing up and moving back over to the cookers.

“Are you reading one of my books?” Toshiro asked sleepily, his eyes blinking awake again and noticing the book Isshin had been reading.

“I believe it was one of my books first,” Isshin nudged the kid playfully. Toshiro had a long running history of taking books from Isshin’s collection and not always returning them.

“You told me I shouldn’t have brought books,” Toshiro frowned, noticeably steering the conversation away and turning the accusations back onto the captain. “Now you’re reading them!”

“Eat your breakfast,” Isshin ordered then, as Mari conveniently returned with a small plate of eggs with furikake. 

Toshiro had stopped saying no to Mari a long time ago.

“Thank you, Granny,” the kid murmured, taking the plate.

Seemingly distracted for the meantime, Toshiro silently ate his breakfast and Isshin picked back up his book, continuing with their quiet morning.

* * *

As Kaien predicted, the rain stopped in the afternoon and the sun emerged.

Toshiro became more alert after his breakfast and joined Kaien for a swim in the plunge pool. He wanted Isshin to join them, but the captain had complained it was too cold. Toshiro pouted but ran off quickly to join Kaien, diving into the water without even testing its temperature first.

Isshin remembered being surprised that Toshiro knew how to swim. Squad Ten had had a group beach day and the captain had just assumed Toshiro couldn’t swim, since he supposedly had no memories of his human life and Isshin hadn’t seen him in water deeper than the Shiba Manor bath tub. Toshiro had just scoffed and ran straight into the water in response – apparently Hyorinmaru had a hand in that one, but yes the boy could swim.

It seemed silly to even question it now, watching the boy duck under the water to avoid Kaien’s splash attack, only for him to re-emerge nowhere near when he had gone under.

Eventually Ganju emerged from his swag on the other side of the clearing, smelling Mari’s teriyaki chicken dish as the family matriarch began cooking lunch.

Just as they all sat down for lunch, the sun finally appeared. No one was happier than Rangiku, who immediately ran to her tent to change into her bikini, and dragged her chair and lunch out to the middle of the clearing, so the trees wouldn’t ‘disrupt’ her sunshine.

“Now that the sun is out, are you going to come for a swim, Captain?” Toshiro asked. “It’s much warmer now.”

Isshin glanced up from his book to see the boy leaning over in his chair, his teal eyes wide with excitement, his hair still wet from earlier and sticking to his face. Just like Kaien, Isshin’s third seat must have been part-fish. It seemed that he was going to be almost impossible to keep him out of the water for long.

“You’re not going to have your afternoon nap?” Isshin queried.

“Naps are for when I deserve them,” Toshiro informed the captain, straightening, “and for when I haven’t slept well. I haven’t worked today and I did sleep well so I don’t need a nap.”

Logical, like only Toshiro could be.

Isshin sighed and nodded, supposing he had promised earlier to join Toshiro for a swim if it got warmer.

Changing quickly in the tent, Isshin returned to the plunge pool to find Toshiro and Kaien already back in the water. The captain tried not to hiss as he took his first step in – it was freezing! Toshiro actually laughed when Isshin expressed that, which made the captain purse his lips. Suffering silently from then out, Isshin moved quickly into deeper water and eventually ducked his head under.

Toshiro was there in front of him when Isshin popped back up, and those teal eyes positively beamed at him.

“Good, Captain?”

Isshin nodded, chuckling as he grabbed the boy, dragging the small third seat quickly through the water as he spun on the spot. Toshiro laughed more than Isshin had heard him laugh in a while, and it was music to his ears. Children _should_ laugh often.

It didn’t take long to get Kukaku, Miyako and Ganju to join them, and even Mari sat on a rock and dangled her legs in. With almost everyone in the water, it made perfect sense that Rangiku should join them.

“Nuh uh,” she clicked her tongue, calling back from where she now laid in the sun, tanning her skin. “I’ve got makeup on and I just washed my hair yesterday.”

Isshin rolled his eyes and with a mischievous glance at Kaien’s direction, the brothers thought up a silent and evil plan. They reined in their Spiritual Pressure and snuck up on Rangiku, grabbing her quickly by her wrists and ankles. She screamed and struggled, all the way to the plunge pool, until they swung and tossed her into the water.

Ganju, Kukaku and Toshiro cheered when the lieutenant splashed into water, while Mari only pursed her lips disapprovingly, and Miyako chuckled quietly.

“My hair!” Rangiku screeched, bursting back through the surface of the water. “Idiots!”

“Hey!” Isshin shouted back before he smirked. “That’s Captain Idiot to you.”

Everyone laughed at that, but no one more than Toshiro. Isshin was worried he might drown, or throw up his lunch, he was laughing so hard.

It only took five minutes of further complaining before Rangiku seemed to accept her fate and finally relax into the fun of it, even as the mascara ran down her cheeks. Isshin grinned, watching as Toshiro climbed onto her shoulders and had a chicken fight with Kaien and Miyako; this was exactly the thing the kid needed to unwind, and exactly what the captain had hoped would happen when he invited Toshiro on the trip.

* * *

That evening around the campfire went surprisingly similar to the first night, with everyone feeling tired and lethargic from the afternoon swim. The only person with any energy at all was Toshiro, who was practically bouncing off the walls (or surrounding forest trees) with excitement. As it turned out, he loved camping.

It reminded Isshin that beneath that overly worked, ice dragon wielding, paperwork machine of a third seat was just a little kid that liked to do little kid things.

Like play with a soccer ball.

“How many are you at now?” Isshin called over to the boy. “Dinner is almost ready.”

Toshiro was kicking the soccer ball up to about chest height, letting it fall back to his foot and tapping it back up again, repeating the process over and over. He called it ‘juggling’ and liked to see how many times in a row he could continue the pattern for without dropping the ball.

That was another human thing that seemed to take off in the Seireitei after Soul Reapers patrolling the World of the Living brought it back with them. Toshiro, as always, picked it up very quickly and thankfully so had a number of Squad Ten soldiers so they often played after work on the training grounds.

“Eighty-seven,” Toshiro counted kicking the ball up again, and on the next repeat added, “eighty-eight.”

“At one hundred, you’re coming to eat,” Isshin smirked at the boy as he pouted but didn’t once mess up his juggling, and sure enough, a few moments later, Isshin counted one hundred. “Times up, Kid.”

Toshiro caught the ball with his foot but this time, he placed the ball down carefully on the ground.

He hurried over to the table where Isshin placed the bowl of ramen in front of him. Despite the fact he would have preferred to keep his juggling streak going than eat necessary sustenance, the boy tucked straight into his dinner, almost choking on his noodles. He also loved Isshin’s ramen.

The adults ate too, scattered between the table under the awning and sitting around the campfire. Soon after, Kaien brewed a big pot of tea and the family gathered around the fire. 

They told stories, and Ganju in particular knew almost every legend from the constellations.

“Then there is Draco,” Ganju pointed up to the stars.

“The dragon,” Toshiro’s eyes lit up, as they did when they spoke about anything dragon or snow related.

Ganju nodded and told them all the story that came from Greek Mythology. Toshiro had been very excited, until the part of the story in which the dragon was killed. He gasped at that, and Isshin patted his back gently from the chair next to his.

“Zeus placed Dracos’ constellation in the northern sky,” Ganju finished, “because Draco had been so faithful in guarding the caves and their contents. His constellation never sets so he can guard all the treasures of Zeus.”

Toshiro hummed and settled back in his chair, seemingly settled a little by that, and he brought his tea to his lips, expression thoughtful for a moment. Ganju was onto the next story, about Andromeda, when Isshin noticed Toshiro yawning as he stared up at the sky.

“Come on, Little Dragon,” Isshin sighed, pushing himself out of his camp chair. “It’s way past your bedtime now anyway.”

“Dragons don’t have bedtimes,” Toshiro’s retort was instant, his eyes still up with the stars and expression unchanging.

“The babies do,” Isshin replied dryly.

Toshiro’s eyes snapped to the captain and they were deeply offended.

Around the fire, Rangiku and the Shibas chuckled. Isshin smirked, plucking the kid easily from his chair. He ignored the disgruntled yelp, and wrapped an arm around the kid’s middle, tucking him under his arm like a rugby ball – another human sport that had taken off for a while in the Soul Society before soccer became all the rage.

It was a pity, because Isshin had been much better at rugby.

Isshin snatched the now empty tea cup from the boy’s hands and placed it on the chair he had just vacated.

“Say good night, Toshiro,” Isshin ordered the kid happily, enjoying this whole exchange.

“Good night, Toshiro,” Toshiro responded with a smirk, getting more laughs from the family while Isshin rolled his eyes.

“Very cheeky,” the captain shook his head, turning sharply and carrying Toshiro towards their tent. “Now it’s definitely bedtime for you.”

Toshiro just laughed at that, and Isshin sighed knowing it was going to be harder to get this kid to sleep tonight than last night.

* * *

Unlike the previous morning, Isshin woke to find his tent-mate missing from his bed.

He didn’t have to worry though; the boy was an early riser normally and the captain was in tune enough with his third seat’s Spiritual Pressure that he knew Toshiro was calm and content, and still within the campsite clearing.

Rolling over, Isshin went back to sleep.

When he woke next, the tent was warmer, the sun beating down on it.

Groaning, the captain struggled out of his sleeping bag and off his air mattress, stumbling out of the tent.

Today it was sunny and rather warm. Rangiku was once again tanning on the grass, while Kaien and Miyako were in the plunge pool, seemingly having a bit of a romantic moment. Kukaku was assembling some fireworks, and Isshin found Toshiro helping Mari in the makeshift kitchen.

“Good morning, Sleepyhead,” Toshiro teased him this time as the captain ruffled his hair and leaned over him to reach for the coffee pot.

“Morning, Kid,” Isshin murmured, collapsing in a chair as Mari handed him a mug for his coffee.

“I made you breakfast,” Toshiro beamed at him, holding out a bowl of rice with a cup of Miso soup.

“Toshiro has been very helpful this morning,” Mari added as she sat down opposite Isshin with some breakfast of her own.

Isshin hummed in agreement sipping on his Miso. Even to this day, well over a decade since Rangiku had brought the injured, no-name boy to Shiba Manor, Toshiro always made sure to do his share of chores for Mari. Mari never gave him any, he just did them. Isshin didn’t know if he liked that or not – on one hand, he was glad the boy wasn’t lazy and liked to help his ‘Granny’, but on the other hand, Toshiro was a kid, he shouldn’t have to worry about pulling his weight.

Though, Toshiro had once told him that he liked doing chores around the manor because it made him feel like less of a guest, and more like family. Well, Isshin couldn’t argue with that, and besides, he had endless chores at Toshiro’s age.

For helping with breakfast, Isshin gave Toshiro a pat on the head and promised to clean up.

Their last full day at the campsite flew by in much the same manner as the first. Ganju got up around lunchtime, Isshin spent much of the morning reading, Toshiro was in and out of the water, seemingly torn between wanting to swim and read, while Rangiku made sure to rotate her body for an even tan.

Isshin felt a slight twinge in his chest, watching as Kaien threw Toshiro up into the air in the water and let him splash back down, as their father had always done to them as kids when they swam. Isshin felt something paternal stir in his stomach, like he wanted to pass on his father’s legacy to Toshiro, the closest thing the captain had to a son and assumed he ever would have.

What to teach him though? 

It was only when the sun was beginning to set that Isshin had a brilliant idea.

He re-lit the fire and called Toshiro over.

“When I was your age,” Isshin started, “my father used to take us camping every year, and my favourite part was always roasting the marshmallows.”

“Roasting the marshmallows,” Toshiro repeated sceptically, looking mildly disgusted. 

He had been off the squishy treat since Rangiku had challenged him to see how many he could fit in his mouth – he had managed fourteen but Rangiku got to twenty-two. Naturally it had ended in stomach aches and complaints.

The captain chuckled and nodded, grabbing the packet of marshmallows that Mari had remembered to bring for them.

“You’ll like this,” Isshin told the boy. “Grab that stick there.”

Toshiro picked up the thin stick Isshin had nodded to and held it up to him. The captain pulled a marshmallow from the bag and pierced it with the end of the stick. Toshiro watched with wide eyes as Isshin held the other end of the stick and lowered the skewered marshmallow down into the flames for a few seconds before bring it back up.

The marshmallow was still alight, it’s white skin bubbling before becoming dark and crispy.

“Blow it out,” Isshin instructed and the boy did. “Now eat it.”

“Eat it?” Toshiro asked, tone a tad alarmed.

“Yes,” Isshin laughed. “Come on, it won’t hurt you.”

Tentatively, Toshiro took the stick from Isshin’s hand and eyed the marshmallow. After a moment’s hesitation, the boy ate the marshmallow off the end.

As the captain had predicted, Toshiro’s teal eyes lit up.

“This is so good!” the kid exclaimed, mouth still full.

Grinning, Isshin took back the stick and skewered another marshmallow onto the end.

“I wanted to teach you something my dad taught me,” the captain admitted, handing back the stick for Toshiro to lower into the flames this time. “I would have taught you how to fish but I don’t think there are any fish in that plunge pool.”

“There’s not,” Toshiro agreed like he knew for certain, though he didn’t explain any further than that, apparently distracted by his current task.

He lowered the marshmallow in for a few seconds and brought it back out, but he offered this one to Isshin to eat. The captain smiled and did, and made sure to hum in satisfaction at the taste. 

“I always prefer mine a little burned,” Isshin smirked, grabbing a second stick so they could roast marshmallows at the same time. “Kaien used to only like to warm them up – he wouldn’t eat it if it caught on fire.”

It was said with an eye roll and Toshiro smirked.

“I’m going to try them all the different levels of roasted,” Toshiro told him then, taking another marshmallow and skewering it on his stick.

“Leave room for dinner,” Isshin warned. “My mother won't be happy if I’ve filled you up on sweets.”

Toshiro snorted as he pulled the stick back from the flames.

“You won’t be happy when I can’t sleep tonight,” the boy chuckled, his eyes glinting cheekily as he bit off the melted marshmallow.

Well that was true, but it was also possible the kid would crash from his sugar high early.

Thankfully, it only took a few more marshmallows for Toshiro to decide that he liked the first one Isshin made him, in which the outer skin was crispy but the inner fluff was only gooey. The boy ate all of his dinner as Isshin had hoped, but it was clear the sugar from earlier was peaking his energy levels as he started climbing trees and swinging from branch to branch. 

He eventually settled when Rangiku called him over to rub some sort of after-sun gel on her slightly reddened back, before the two of them snuggled in a camp chair together, watching Kukaku’s brief firework show. Toshiro indeed crashed, falling asleep in the chair an hour before his bedtime.

Isshin sighed, scooping the boy up, and carrying him back to the tent. He heard no complaints that night as Toshiro was helped into to his sleeping bag and lowered back onto his pillow.

* * *

It was in the wee hours of the morning, when it was still too dark to see that Isshin woke up.

This time what woke him wasn’t Kukaku’s voice or the beating sun, it was the repeated gasps and shuffling from the Soul in the next bed, and the little body wiggling into Isshin’s arms.

Opening his eyes, Isshin frowned groggily in the dark, trying to make sense of his freshly awoken state. He lifted his head, trying to see.

“Toshiro?”

Though the kid wasn’t really visible in the dark, his white hair glowed just enough to be seen. He continued to work himself into Isshin’s arms and the captain lifted one to allow him entry.

“Bad dream,” Toshiro murmured.

His voice, even in whisper, was shaking with fear (and held just a note of embarrassment). It clicked quickly then for Isshin - nightmare.

This was now the second time Isshin had witnessed the boy having nightmares and while this time he wasn’t trying to freeze Isshin’s hand off, he seemed just as scared. He had to be seriously shaken for him to be climbing into Isshin’s bed with him.

Exhaling as he pushed himself up, Isshin tiredly reached out for the boy, finding his sleeping bag and mattress and dragging it closer.

Pushing Toshiro gently back down, Isshin laid back on his side. Automatically, Toshiro seemed to curl into him and the captain ran his fingers through the soft, albeit knotty from all the swimming, hair. Isshin could feel the panic in Toshiro’s Spiritual Pressure, not to mention in his laboured breathing and erratic heartbeat.

“Shhh,” Isshin shushed him softly. “You’re okay.”

Toshiro nodded against Isshin’s chest, swallowing.

It took several minutes, after which Isshin felt totally awake, that Toshiro seemed to calm down and fall back asleep.

* * *

Isshin must have eventually gotten back asleep because the next time he opened his eyes, it was daylight again.

Toshiro was still beside him but was no longer curled into him like the previous night. He was awake, though sleepy, and murmured about Isshin being warm, and he didn’t necessarily mean that as a compliment. Isshin didn’t mind, as long as Toshiro was feeling better, and he seemed to be.

The captain got the boy up and made sure he ate a substantial breakfast before they started packing down the campsite.

It was their last day, since the Soul Reapers across the family had only managed to get the four days off.

Naturally, Rangiku’s tent and all the items in it were the hardest things to pack down and get back in her bag, and of course she complained about the weight of it the whole hike home.

Toshiro seemed back to his more playful self, further cementing his position as ‘Mari’s favourite grandchild’ when he walked with her and helped over the odd boulder in their path. They played ‘I Spy’ for a large portion of the walk and Isshin couldn’t help but grin to himself as he led the family through the forest.

It was just like the family camping trips his father had taken them on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up, we have a request for my friend, Gingery! She PM’d me her headcanon on our discord server (The Seireitei) so I will be posting that next Sunday.  
> (In case anyone is interested, the discord server is an excellent way to chat Toshiro headcanons with me – see below for the joining link!)


	26. Card

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Father's Day in the Squad Ten Barracks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s Father’s Day in Australia and I got this request from my lovely friend, Gingery, a few weeks prior, so it just had to be done.

Rangiku was a she-devil.

She knew that, in fact she celebrated it.

She was the Queen of Pranks, the Purveyor of Gossip, the (not so noble) Lady of Embarrassing Others. The list went on, and she was damn proud of it.

Naturally Toshiro was an easy target, both because of his age and generally high strung demeanor. She picked on him easily, being that he was her closest subordinate and also like a little brother to her. Of course she would never actually hurt him, that would be taking it too far and she didn’t want to genuinely upset the poor boy.

Still Rangiku found the perfect opportunity for such a harmless prank when she was in one of the retail newsagent stores littered throughout the Seireitei. She dropped in on Monday afternoon to buy a new magazine and it was in that aisle she stumbled across her third seat looking at the greeting cards.

He had picked one up and opened it, reading the message on the inside. He was so engrossed in what he was doing that he didn’t even notice Rangiku approach, and he was usually rather in tune with her Spiritual Pressure.

“Hey Toshiro,” she greeted him brightly. “Someone’s birthday coming up?”

Well the boy jumped half a foot into the air, flinching away from her. Rangiku frowned in surprise as Toshiro turned to her with wide eyes, his cheeks suddenly turning pink as he spluttered. It was the look of a kid being caught doing something he shouldn’t be doing.

“L-lieutenant!” Toshiro stammered, tripping over his words. “I was- I-I was just looking.”

Rangiku raised an eyebrow. This was interesting.

Just what was he ‘just looking’ at?

The lieutenant reach down to the card in Toshiro’s hands which he immediately snatched away from her and held to his chest protectively.

Rangiku sent him a challenging look. Was he really going to hide something from his lieutenant? Well he could try hide that card but he couldn’t hide the whole rack of cards beside them. Rangiku turned towards the rack and blinked at it.

It was full of _chichi no hi_ cards – Father’s Day, the celebratory day coming up that Sunday.

It clicked in Rangiku’s head quickly and she turned back to face the boy, ready to tease him about it but found that Toshiro had vanished. The space where he had been standing was empty, the boy disappearing and leaving nothing behind except a trace of his Spiritual Pressure and the card that he had been holding which had fallen to the floor.

Crouching for a moment, Rangiku plucked the discarded card from the floor and straightened as she inspected it.

It was indeed a Father’s Day card. On the front, a cartoon picture of a grape – clearly the dad – holding hands with a raisin – clearly the kid – and inside the message read:

_‘Thanks Dad, you’re doing a grape job of raisin me.’_

Rangiku snorted loudly in the store, causing an unfamiliar Soul Reaper further up the aisle to glance over at her.

Oh goodness, that joke was so terrible it was brilliant. Isshin would eat it up, and the more Rangiku looked at the card the more she thought it was perfect to describe the relationship between her captain and third seat. Isshin was raising Toshiro, and even though there was no biological relation, and even though the captain was a tall and burly nobleman while Toshiro was a scrawny street kid, they were both just Souls right? Or in this case, grapes.

Obviously Toshiro was still too embarrassed to fully admit that, since Rangiku had never known him to celebrate Father’s Day with Isshin before. She wondered vaguely if this was the first year he had come to this store, or if he came every year only to talk himself out of buying anything.

He definitely wouldn’t buy anything now that he had been caught out by Rangiku, the embarrassment would be too much for him.

The lieutenant smirked. Now here was an opportunity for a bit of fun.

Rangiku grinned, tucking the card under her arm before swiping up a new gossip magazine from the stand opposite the cards and navigating the aisles until she found the novelty gift section. Of course, being that Father’s Day was coming up, the gifts were targeted for such. Rangiku’s eyes swept the shelves and immediately found the perfect present to give Isshin on Toshiro’s behalf.

Oh yes, Isshin was going to love it.

* * *

The rest of the week went slow from there.

Toshiro had been avoiding her as much as possible, and of course Rangiku made sure that was the week she turned up to the office every day.

The sly comments went unnoticed by Isshin, but certainly not Toshiro. By Friday, Rangiku was sure the tick on his forehead was going to become a permanent feature.

“I’d love some grapes right now,” Rangiku drawled playfully from the office couch she had been reclined on. “Toshiro, could you get me some grapes please?”

She could see Toshiro and she smirked as he froze over his paperwork, his face paling, the tick ticking.

“Oh and I suspect you want him to peel them and feed them to you, Princess?” Isshin muttered sarcastically from his desk, oblivious to the joke.

“Maybe some raisins even?” Rangiku smirked wider, ignoring the captain for a moment.

Toshiro’s expression was warning when he finally looked up from his paperwork. His eyes screamed at her to back down, his cheeks bright red with embarrassment.

Rangiku sent him a wink.

“Hey Captain,” she sung, turning to face Isshin. “Will you be back from the Manor on Sunday?”

Isshin spent weekends at Shiba Manor with his family. Rangiku had to factor that in when she started planning how she was going to go about this little Father’s Day prank to embarrass her third seat.

“I’ll be back for dinner as usual,” Isshin answered, not glancing up from the report he was reading. “It’s Father’s Day so we’re going to visit my father’s grave.”

Rangiku hummed and nodded. She knew that, so did Toshiro. Isshin and his family did it every year.

It was another reason why Rangiku was pushing for Toshiro to get over his embarrassment and fears and celebrate Father’s Day with Isshin – it didn’t have to be a sad day anymore. It could be something the captain looked forward to.

After all, he was doing a _grape_ job _raisin_ Toshiro.

_Ah, that joke would never get old._

Rangiku turned back to Toshiro and found the boy staring at Isshin now, but he felt her eyes on him and turned back to her.

‘Back in time for dinner’ the lieutenant mouthed to the boy silently. Toshiro’s caught it and flushed red again.

“Toshiro, are you alright?” Rangiku asked, false concern in her voice then and immediately piquing Isshin’s interest as she saw him look up from the corner of her eye. “Your face has gone red.”

Toshiro’s eyes went wide as he stared at her like he couldn’t believe she was doing this to him, and when Isshin’s concerned eyes fell on his, the colour of his face deepened.

“You’re not getting sick, are you?” Isshin was up out of chair and coming around to Toshiro. Before the third seat could protest, Isshin had the boy’s face in his hands. “You’re burning up.”

Yeah, with embarrassment.

Toshiro stammered, shaking his head, before he twisted out of Isshin’s grasp. He walked swiftly for the door.

“I’m f-fine. It’s just hot in here,” he lied quickly, the pitch of his voice higher than usual. “I just need some fresh air.”

With that he disappeared out the door. The office was silent as they heard his light footsteps quicken, until he seemed to be running at full pelt down the hall.

“I should go after him,” Isshin sighed.

“Don’t be such a helicopter parent, Captain,” Rangiku laughed, lying back down on the couch. “He’s fine. You’ll feel it in his Spiritual Pressure if he’s not.”

“It could be early symptoms,” Isshin disagreed. “Keep an eye on him over the weekend and if he does come down with something, give me a call.”

Rangiku rolled her eyes, “Sure, Dad.”

A hint of a smirk played on Isshin’s lips then, and Rangiku wasn’t surprised. She knew he loved that title. Well, he really was going to like his gift then.

* * *

The weekend passed quickly, but not quickly enough for Rangiku who had been waiting most of the week for this.

Sunday night had finally arrived, and Rangiku had just spotted Isshin entering back through the gates.

Squealing in excitement, Rangiku ran back to the office where she knew Toshiro was doing a poor job of hiding from her.

“Come on!” She burst through the door, startling him from where he had been reading on the couch.

“Lieutenant?” Toshiro yelped when Rangiku flash stepped over to him and scooped him up, before making for the door again.

She didn’t care which passing soldiers saw him being carried in her arms as she ran towards the Captain’s Quarters. In fact, she had slowed a little going past the canteen so they could see it, much to Toshiro’s mortification.

“What are you doing?” the boy hissed at her. “Put me down!”

“We’re almost there,” Rangiku giggled, tightening her hold on the kid.

She gave one final flash step and a second later, landed softly on the front porch of Isshin’s quarters, just as the man was approaching. She beamed at the captain as Toshiro froze in his struggle to get out of her arms, and Isshin faltered in his steps at their sudden appearance.

“What are you doing?” the captain asked, a little exasperated seeing Rangiku’s cheeky expression as she put Toshiro down but kept a tight hold on his wrist – he was still a flight risk.

“Toshiro and I have a surprise for you, Captain!” Rangiku announced happily.

Beside her Toshiro paled significantly, his wrist going cold in Rangiku’s grasp.

“Lieutenant, you didn’t-” Toshiro started to hiss.

“Close your eyes, Captain,” Rangiku cut over the boy, ordering Isshin. “You’ll like this, I promise.”

The captain eyed Rangiku with suspicion, hesitating as he did usually did where she was concerned. However Rangiku did, in fact, have all evening for this, and she would wait. She lifted a challenging eyebrow at him, and pursed her lips in patient determination.

The captain gave a suffering sigh, before carding his hand through his hair and muttering something the lieutenant couldn’t hear but wouldn’t have trouble guessing. His eyes seemed to fall onto Toshiro who was now trying to hide behind Rangiku.

Eventually Isshin closed his eyes.

Rangiku grinned and turned back to Toshiro, handing him the key to the Isshin’s Quarters. It was his key actually, but Rangiku had stolen it from his bunk that morning to set up. It was very little wonder why Isshin had never trusted her with her own key.

“He needs this today,” Rangiku told the boy seriously, her tone quiet. “And he’ll love the card.”

Toshiro’s eyes went wide as he glanced back at the captain standing at the bottom of the stairs with his eyes closed. After a moment, the boy swallowed and nodded, turning to open the door as she carefully released his wrist.

Rangiku jumped down the few steps and grabbed her captain’s hand, leading him up towards the door.

“Keep those eyes closed, Captain,” she told him cheerily.

“Don’t you dare walk me into anything, Matsumoto,” Isshin gritted his teeth, not the least bit trusting of Rangiku’s blind man navigation skills.

Rangiku could only giggle, until a few seconds later when she accidentally walked him into the cabinet in the hallway. The captain stubbed his toe and hissed in pain.

“Sorry,” Rangiku grimaced. “Honest mistake.”

“Rangiku…” Isshin clenched his jaw, but Rangiku shushed him.

“Almost there, Captain.”

Rangiku passed Toshiro who was standing over at the dining table inspecting what she had set up, seemingly every nervous and unsure of himself, but Rangiku steered Isshin into his bedroom, and closed the door behind them.

“Open your eyes, Captain,” Rangiku told the man and when he had, she pushed him slightly forwards. “Get in bed.”

The captain turned to her sharply, his eyes shocked at the request.

Rangiku supposed, from his ignorant perspective, it did seem like a highly questionable request of a lieutenant to make to their captain.

“Get in bed?” he repeated disbelieving.

“That’s what I said,” Rangiku smirked, humour in her tone. She had to admit it was a strange thing to say to him, but she had done her research and figured this was going to be very enjoyable. “Go on.”

The captain kept his suspicious eyes on her as he slowly slipped into the bed, sitting up against the headboard and looking at her with great distrust.

“Stay right there,” Rangiku beamed. “We’ll be back with your surprise in a second.”

She didn’t wait for confirmation, turning quickly and slipping out of the room. She found Toshiro right where she left him. He was holding the envelope containing the card.

“Is the raisin one?” he asked, those teal eyes wide with nerves.

“Yeah,” Rangiku grinned at him. “I thought it was _grape.”_

Toshiro frowned at the joke, and looked entirely unsure of himself. Rangiku patted him on the back and reached for the wrapped present, handing to him.

“Give that to the captain,” she told him.

“What is it?” the boy asked.

“You’ll see,” Rangiku smirked widely.

Toshiro started spluttering, clearly not liking being out of the loop on the nature of the present he was about to hand to his captain. The lieutenant ignored him and turned to the large tray she had set up, picking it up carefully. She turned back to Toshiro and nodded her head towards the bedroom, gesturing him to go first.

The boy hesitated for a second before he swallowed his nerves and walked over to the bedroom door, opening it up.

“What’s this?” Isshin stared up at them in confusion as they entered.

“Happy Father’s Day!” Rangiku sung, entering behind Toshiro.

She carried the tray over to the thoroughly confused captain, and placed it gently in his lap.

On the tray sat three bowls of chicken katsu curry – Isshin’s favourite.

“Father’s D…” Isshin trailed off, voice disbelieving as he stared down at the food, flickering his eyes up to Toshiro and Rangiku.

Toshiro was clutching the gift and card nervously, and flinched when Rangiku placed her hand on his shoulder.

“It’s dinner in bed,” the lieutenant explained brightly, “I know it’s supposed to be breakfast in bed, but…”

She shrugged. Isshin knew, he wasn’t here this morning as he usually wasn’t on Sundays.

“We got you a gift too,” Rangiku nodded down at Toshiro.

As if only just suddenly realising his cue, Toshiro’s hands holding the gift and card shot out abruptly, almost throwing the items at the captain.

Isshin caught them before they could fall into the curries below as Toshiro’s blushed brightly. The captain must have sensed the boy’s nervousness as he patted the place next to him on the bed.

“Up you come, Kid,” Isshin called Toshiro to him. “We’ll open these together.”

After again hesitating for a second, and with a bit of an encouraging boost from Rangiku, Toshiro climbed up onto the mattress, slipping under the covers and settling close to Isshin. Rangiku grinned to herself and rounded the other side of the bed, sitting on the edge of the mattress. Isshin put his arms around Toshiro and drew him closer. He kept his arm around the boy even as he used two hands to open up the envelope.

“Card first,” the captain murmured, and Toshiro’s face stayed that same shade of beetroot. The third seat seemed to find great fascination in a bit of loose stitching on the hem of the duvet cover.

The envelope was torn open before Isshin pulled the card out, flipping it over to see the front of it. He grinned widely at the grape and raisin design on the front, the characters holding hands sweetly. He opened it up then and the lieutenant could see the moment he read the joke as the captain erupted into loud laughter.

“Oh this is perfect,” Isshin wheezed. “I love this.”

“Toshiro chose it,” Rangiku threw the boy under the bus (Isshin’s fatherly love bus). “Probably because of all those awful dad jokes you make.”

“Hey now,” Isshin pretended to be offended. “I am hilarious.”

“Yeah, sure,” Rangiku rolled her eyes and the captain went back to reading the little message Rangiku had scrawled inside.

_‘Happy Father’s Day, Old Man! Thanks for being a grape captain and an even better dad. Love, Rangiku and Toshiro xoxo’_

Isshin’s fingers traced the words, his smile soft and his eyes lost in the message for a moment. A strangely emotional moment seemed to pass over him. Rangiku noticed his arm tighten around Toshiro and the boy sink a little into the captain’s side.

“I’ll keep this forever,” Isshin smiled, breaking from his retrieve as he placed the card gently on his nightstand. “Right here where I can look at it every night.”

Rangiku beamed brightly – she knew Isshin would love the card. Toshiro seemed to release a shuddering breath of relief.

Next Isshin opened the gift. Toshiro appeared to be somewhere between desperate to see what he had supposedly gotten the man and too scared to know at all.

The captain opened the box, and chuckled as he pulled out a white coffee mug, black lettering printed across the front and back reading ‘#1 Dad’.

“I think I got my own father one of these once,” Isshin grinned. “Every dad should have one.”

“And now you do!” Rangiku clapped her hands together happily.

Isshin nodded in agreement, still chuckling. Beside him, Toshiro was staring at the mug with disbelief. His eyes, when they landed on Rangiku, were accusatory.

_‘This is what you got him?’_ teal seemed to say.

Rangiku flashed him a grin. Yeah this was what she got him – it was the classic gift, not to be underestimated. It wasn’t just a mug with a cheesy design, it was a symbol. It was Isshin’s right to drink out of one knowing that he was considered a father by the two Souls he looked after.

“I love it,” Isshin grinned, placing it on the nightstand too. “I’ll take that to the office for my morning coffee tomorrow.”

Out of his line of sight, Rangiku shot Toshiro and ‘I told you so’ look and in return he rolled his eyes.

Isshin turned back to them, positively beaming.

“Thank you both,” he told them sincerely. “You’re both my kids and I adore you two. I’ll do anything for you.”

If Rangiku was a lesser woman, she might have gotten emotional and cried. Well… she did get emotional, but she blinked back the tears and leaned over the tray in her captain’s lap and hugged him tightly. Toshiro slipped in between them, hugging Isshin’s stomach while the man wrapped his arms around the both of them. Rangiku felt him plant a quick but sweet kiss in her hair before he did the same to Toshiro.

They hugged for a few minutes, until the captain’s rumbling stomach had them breaking apart with a chuckle.

Isshin was still grinning as he handed out the bowls, and the three of them got comfortable on his bed, tucking into their dinners.

The rest of the evening passed in lovely companionship. They told each other about their weekends as they ate. Afterwards Rangiku made teas – Isshin got his tea in his new mug of course – and they settled down to have a game night. It started raining outside, and Toshiro fell asleep against Isshin’s side, even though he was just about to defeat them in Monopoly.

They decided against moving him, and Rangiku moved out to the couch, deciding she wanted to sleep over tonight too, despite the fact she lived in the quarters next door.

Isshin came out to get some water for himself and Toshiro and on his way back into the bedroom, he stopped by the couch to tuck Rangiku in.

He brushed the hair out of her eyes as she smiled tiredly at him.

“Thank you,” he murmured to her. “I needed that today.”

Rangiku hummed and nodded, closing her eyes and snuggling into her pillow.

“You’re welcome,” she sighed happily. “Dad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a little comment if you liked this chapter :)
> 
> Next week we have a request from FFN guest reviewer, Heba! BYO tissues *sobs*


	27. Funeral

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaien Shiba’s death sent a shockwave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Request from FFN guest reviewer, Heba! Thanks Heba, I’ve never cried so much while writing before ahaha :’(  
> Request: Toshiro reacting Kaien’s death

Kaien Shiba’s death sent a shockwave across the Gotei Thirteen.

No one had expected it, no one knew how to react, least of all Rangiku.

He had been her friend, right back from when they had been in the academy together.

He had been older than her, and noble, but he had always smiled at her, always held eye contact and never looked down at her. He’d had her back, laughed at her antics, and let her copy his homework answers. Kaien had been the coolest guy on campus, and somehow he was also the kindest too.

She would always remember his dazzling smile and his infectious laugh. She would remember those caring eyes and the comforting hugs he’d give. She would remember _him._

Isshin blew up at the news exactly as Rangiku might have expected, and burned down the entire field and surrounding forests that was the place of Kaien and Miyako’s deaths. The temperature was scorching as Rangiku watched sadly from the top of the hill. Flames raged on furiously, while embers rained down around them and black smoke billowed into the sky, suffocating and thick. The sky was darker than even at midnight.

Rangiku hadn’t intended to intervene, not sure there was anything she could say to her grieving captain to calm him, not sure she had any right to take away his reaction. It was only for Toshiro that she eventually approached the man. The boy had refused to leave and get back to safety, but of course he couldn’t stand the heat of his captain’s Bankai either, not as an ice type.

“Toshiro, go!” Rangiku pleaded with the boy, who was leaning heavily into her side, one hand fisting her uniform and the other covering his mouth as he coughed and choked on the ash. “That’s an order, Third Seat!”

“I can’t, Lieutenant,” Toshiro sobbed between the coughs. “I can’t leave him!”

Rangiku could only watch in horror as his skin became covered in little red marks from the embers burning him where they fell. Still, Toshiro didn’t leave. He looked so terrified, so lost and confused – in so much pain.

“I’ll stay with Captain,” she promised him, her voice hoarse in the smoke. “You have to go!”

“I-I can’t-”

It was then he fell, crumpling to a heap on the grass, unmoving though his hair blew in the blistering wind.

He had lost consciousness on the grass and Rangiku had no choice but to fight back against the smoke, ash and embers that were hurting him.

“Captain!” Rangiku called out to Isshin, but the man couldn’t hear her over his own raging inferno, both the literal one created by his power and the one burning inside his heart.

She pushed on, flash stepping through the flames that were even too hot for her now. She found the captain in the centre of the blaze, screaming in anger as he spun, more and more flames pouring out of his sword. His own haori was burning as he wore it but he didn’t seem to care. The air pressure was as if a bomb was exploding endlessly.

“Captain!” Rangiku cried again, this time grabbing the man’s wrist and stopping his movements.

Isshin’s skin was scorching hot, like touching a pot on the stove. His eyes, when they snapped to her, were entirely black, like he was more Hollow than Soul Reaper now. He snarled at her, knocking her hands away, and Rangiku had to duck as he swung his sword over her to send more flames across the already charcoal field.

“Stop, you’re going to kill him!” Rangiku screamed. She had to bring her arm up to shield her eyes from the wild smoke.

Ash was her element but now it was choking her, far stronger from her captain’s Bankai, and the fire, though it was yet to touch her, felt like it was burning her already. She could barely breathe, and her skin and eyes stung. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest, scared and desperate.

“He’s already gone!” Isshin hissed, before screaming in rage once more, the flames surrounding them doubling in height and heat, driving Rangiku to her knees.

“No,” Rangiku coughed, choking on the smoke, her own mind starting to go fuzzy from the lack of oxygen. “Toshiro! You’re going to kill Toshiro!”

She was barely able to keep her head up beside her captain’s legs but pointed vaguely in the direction she had come from.

Feeling the heat decrease slightly, the lieutenant squinted up at her captain, seeing him look over the flames which he had lowered just enough to see the hill. He must have seen the boy, still on grassy hill, and his face crumpled. Isshin too fell to his knees, something between another scream and an anguished sob leaving his throat.

Rangiku swallowed and blinked her eyes, unsure if they were stinging from the smoke or from tears. The fires died down and Rangiku used her own powers to clear the smoke and ash.

The field was entirely burnt, a hundred percent charcoal. The sky stayed black and the memory of a once lush field was gone, much like husband and wife who had perished here.

Rangiku could see Toshiro’s blurry form in the grass, unmoving, but his Spiritual Pressure was steady.

Turning her gaze back onto the captain, she found the man kneeling still, his head hung as tears fell from wide, shocked eyes. Fury was turning to devastation as the captain seemed to process the news that little bit more.

He looked broken, a shell of the man Rangiku often saw as a father figure.

“He’s already gone,” Isshin repeated, his voice cracked and croaky, and Rangiku swallowed, feeling her own tears on her cheeks.

The captain slumped, falling over until his head was in Rangiku’s lap. His skin was still hot but Rangiku still weaved her fingers into his hair and held him steady as he cried and shook. He was shattered, a man grieving the loss of his brother and best friend.

Kaien Shiba was gone.

Isshin’s brother, Toshiro’s uncle, Rangiku’s friend – _gone._

* * *

Kaien Shiba’s death sent a shockwave across the noble clans.

No one had expected it, no one knew how to react, least of all Toshiro.

Under a grey sky, a funeral was held, and two coffins were lowered into the grave. Side by side in life, side by side in the ground.

The Shibas sat in the front row, alongside Captain Ukitake who had lost both his lieutenant and third seat. The other noble families sat in rows behind them, expressions serious and downcast. Notably, the Kuchikis sat at the back and Rukia wasn’t with them. The other captains attended and stood quietly, expressions stoic, and Squad Thirteen kneeled in neat rows behind them.

They all looked solemn.

Anyone who didn’t know Kaien and Miyako was solemn. Anyone who did know them knew solemn didn’t cut it today.

They should have been howling, they should have been sobbing and screaming.

Yet Toshiro could only look solemn as he watched Isshin give a eulogy in which he struggled to stay calm and his voice wavered with barely held back emotion. Toshiro stood with Rangiku, towards the back and to the side, as she grasped a tissue she refused to use. They held hands as the service continued, but Toshiro had forgotten who was trying to hold onto to whom. She grounded him though, even though his chest was too tight and his stomach flipped painfully.

It hurt – everything hurt. Kaien and Miyako Shiba were dead, and yet the birds still sung in the trees, the ants still marched along the path, and time still ticked on.

Toshiro wanted nothing more than to lie down and cry.

Everyone spoke of Kaien’s kindness, his warmth and sense of humour. Outside of the Shibas, Toshiro almost believed no one else truly had the right to say that.

They didn’t really know, after all. Kaien hadn’t healed their injuries in the Shiba Manor living room, Kaien hadn’t played in the waterfall with them or been camping with them, Kaien hadn’t held them when they were drugged and rubbed their backs until their dads came. Kaien hadn’t called himself their uncle.

_“Sorry Kid, just your Uncle Kaien with you.”_

Toshiro swallowed, and took a deliberately deep breath. He knew his hand was cold in Rangiku’s grasp but she didn’t say anything or loosen her hold.

Miyako had been good to him too. She had dressed his wounds, stuck up for him in Third Seat Meetings, and had always showed him kindness.

It couldn’t have happened to two nicer Souls. It was unfair. It didn’t make sense.

Toshiro knew it wasn’t his time to grieve. He had to stay strong – for his captain, for Granny, for Kukaku and Ganju. He had to be helpful today, not a burden. It wasn’t his right to grieve their brother and son.

He had been useless when they first found out the news. Isshin had, in a fit of shock and fury, released his Bankai on the unsuspecting, and thankfully abandoned, field outside of the Naoshima district, and Toshiro hadn’t been able to stand it. He had collapsed, and not woken up until he was laid down on the office couch as Isshin silently healed the small ember burns that had littered his body. The captain had still exuded fury, but the boy didn’t know if that was at Kaien’s death, Toshiro’s pathetic attempt to be there for him, or the fact it was his magic that had burned Toshiro when he lost control in the field.

The third seat had been useless then, and in fact became a liability. Today, on the day the Shibas laid Kaien and Miyako to rest, Toshiro would not be a liability. He would not cry because he missed the man he considered his uncle, he would not be useless during the wake at the manor, and he would not grieve when others needed to grieve first.

The funeral finished when the Shibas each threw roses down to the twin caskets, and then everyone in attendance took turns greeting the family with a bow of respect, a kind word about the deceased couple, and a promise of catching up with them at the wake. They were ‘looking forward to the fireworks display’ that would follow that evening. They made it sound like a fun, holiday event, not like it was Kaien and Miyako’s final goodbye.

Toshiro and Rangiku did not move at first, statues while noble men and women filed out of their rows. They stayed, motionless and hands still linked. Toshiro knew he needed to move, to catch up with the Shibas before they got through all the guests, to make sure he was close by if they needed him, but it was hard.

Hard to move. Hard to breathe. Hard to pretend he was okay.

Staring ahead, Toshiro’s mind was full of memories, of Kaien’s laugh and kind smile, of his calming Spiritual Pressure, and of his familiar brown eyes. Rangiku squeezed his hand and Toshiro released a shuddering breath, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill as he came back to reality.

“We should-”

“Yep.”

They knew what they had to do. It was their duty, as lieutenant and third seat.

Toshiro released Rangiku’s hand, not wanting to Isshin to think he needed the support right now when it was the captain who needed him, but the lieutenant still put her hand on his shoulder as they walked over to the family. The third seat crossed his arms over his chest, trying to physically hold the emotions inside.

They kept a bit of distance as not to intrude, but were close enough to be available for any need the family might have.

It was hard to see Granny cry, but it was worse seeing Isshin with tears in his eyes. He was Toshiro’s captain, his father on many occasions, and he was the strongest person the boy had ever known.

From the cemetery to the manor was a relatively short journey, and Isshin walked with Granny, an arm over her shoulders as they tried to talk about good memories.

Kukaku and Ganju stalked a step behind, silent but seething. They were still angry. Toshiro was scared to approach them, since they were already rather aggressive Souls at the best of times, but now especially with the murder of their brother hanging in the air. They were starting to hate Soul Reapers, the very thing Toshiro had become since meeting them.

When they reached the manor, the guests were already sipping on sparkling wine and eating the canapes. Isshin had hired staff for the afternoon to cater and serve the guests, knowing that otherwise Granny would try and do it all on her own. Toshiro knew the Shibas were noble, and their large manor alluded to that, but this event was when the third seat really noticed their wealth. It was weird though, it felt like they didn’t really fit in with all these other nobles. Isshin wasn’t classy, and Kukaku and Ganju definitely weren’t, but they pretended today.

The mood was different at the wake, Toshiro noticed. It felt lighter – the guests laughed and smiled when they reminisced about their interactions with Kaien or Miyako, others didn’t talk about Kaien or Miyako at all, simply catching up over a glass of bubbles and some caviar.

Toshiro hadn’t been to a wake before, but he knew it was a celebration of the Soul’s life, or afterlife in many cases, but Toshiro couldn’t find any part of him that wanted to celebrate right now.

He had to work – both he and Rangiku did because their priority was their captain and his family right now.

So work they did.

Rangiku did what Rangiku did best – she socialised. She finally put that skill to good use and slipped between the Shibas, joining their conversations with the guests. She kept things light, and saved Ganju from losing his temper at Captain Ukitake for letting Kaien fight alone that night, and she talked Kukaku down from blowing the Kuchikis up with a firework or twenty. Rangiku sat with Granny and got her to laugh when she was about to cry, and made sure Isshin always had food and drink in hand so he had something to focus on.

While Rangiku worked her charm, Toshiro made himself useful wherever he was needed.

The food was running low? He ran to the kitchen and hurried the staff along, even helping to roll sushi when he had to.

Granny was fanning herself in the heat? Toshiro subtly brought the temperature of the room down with Hyorinmaru to a more comfortable level.

Someone knocked over a glass? Toshiro was there in a flash step with a broom and cloth.

It started raining outside, leading late arrivals to walk water and mud through the entrance hallway, so Toshiro found the mop and kept the area clean. He took the coats from the nobles and hung them up, and arranged their shoes neatly on the racks below. He didn’t scowl when they called him ‘Child’ or when they handed him their empty glasses and demanded ‘a new one quick, Boy.’

To be fair, Toshiro thought he was holding it together really well. It wasn’t until close to the end of the night, when the wake service was winding up and the staff had all clocked off, that Toshiro started to feel his emotions get the best of him.

He stood in the kitchen, drying the dishes and staring hard at pond across the large back garden. He could barely see it in the dark, in fact all he could see was Kukaku and Ganju setting up their fireworks, but he knew it was there and that was enough to send him to the brink.

Toshiro didn’t know why a mere pond did that to him; maybe it was the water that was the connection that he and Kaien shared with their elemental Zanpakutos, or maybe it was simply days of trying to force down the pain in his heart that now bubbled over, but Toshiro felt it flood back.

Kaien was gone, and he was never coming back.

Shakily placing the plate in his hands back down into the drying rack, Toshiro pressed both palms into the lip of the bench before stepping back and leaning over. He felt sick with grief, and his eyes closed as he tried to focus on staying upright and pushing down the emotions. Coldness spread in his heart and the dragon rumbled in his mind, likely in an effort to comfort him but Toshiro could feel himself losing against it.

But he couldn’t – not today.

“Are you okay?”

It was Rangiku’s voice and Toshiro nodded, humming quietly and straightening back up.

He wasn’t okay, nothing was okay anymore, but she knew that. He didn’t dare look back at Rangiku as he returned to drying the dishes

His hands were shaking more as picked up a tea cup, which quickly resulted in him dropping it, the fine china shattering on the tiles below.

Toshiro groaned and sunk to the floor. That felt like the final straw as his eyes stung and Rangiku quickly joined him on the ground. She caught his hands before he could pick up any pieces.

“Look at me,” she murmured and Toshiro did.

Her eyes were as blue as Toshiro felt.

She must have known how close he was to cracking – shattering like that china tea cup – as she gently pushed him back until he fell on his butt. Toshiro released another shuddering breath as he let himself lean back into the cupboard below the sink, and Rangiku squeezed his hand. His eyes were watering but he didn’t let those tears spill.

_His uncle was gone._

She stared at him and Toshiro was sure she could read his mind – she could hear his thoughts going around and around, about how this was all too much, how he wanted to help Isshin and his family, and how he felt like he was failing at that. He felt so overwhelmed with emotion, and yet so hollow.

He thought about how everything hurt, and how he missed Kaien.

_He missed Kaien so much._

“Me too,” Rangiku murmured quietly, understanding and stroking the back of his hand.

The lieutenant didn’t say more than that and she didn’t need to. They were sad, really sad – there was no better word to describe it. They were furious too – at the Hollow who had taken him away, at the nobles who only pretended to grieve, at Kaien himself for leaving them.

_Why did he have to leave them?_

It was suffocating and painful beyond belief, and Toshiro wasn’t sure they were ever going to recover from this. How could they? How could the world continue on in the wake of such a devastating tragedy?

Toshiro and Rangiku sat on the floor a while longer, the tea cup forgotten for a moment as they held on to each other and forced back down the grief. It still wasn’t their time – it probably never would be.

As if to remind them, Isshin entered the kitchen and stopped abruptly seeing them sitting on the ground, moving well past _solemn._

“What’s going on?” he asked, confusion and concern in his voice.

Toshiro was back on his knees in an instant, finally reaching for that broken tea cup and gathering up the bigger pieces first. He kept his head ducked, in case the wet eyes were visible still.

“Just cleaning up,” Rangiku answered for them both, though she didn’t move from her casual crossed legged position. “Are you okay?”

Toshiro snuck a glance up at the captain who nodded slowly, eyes dropping to the broken cup though he didn’t mention it.

“The fireworks memorial is going to start soon,” Isshin murmured, taking his eyes off them for a moment to reach for the broom in the pantry. “By the time it’s finished it will be quite late, you two should stay the night here.”

Rangiku and Toshiro exchanged uncertain glances for a moment, unsure what the right answer to that was. Should they stay, being available to help if needed and for moral support? Or would they just be intruding on a private night for the grieving family?

“Uhh,” Rangiku hesitated, frowning slightly in confusion. “Do- uh, do you want us to stay the night?”

“Yeah,” Isshin sighed. “I don’t want either of you travelling back to the Tenth this late.”

A beat of silence past before Rangiku eventually nodded and Toshiro returned to the tea cup.

“I’ll go set up a futon for you in Toshiro’s room,” Isshin gave them a weak smile, handing the broom over to Rangiku.

Toshiro had room at Shiba Manor these days. He had stayed so often on a futon in the study that they had eventually decided to redecorate it into a bedroom instead. The set up was much the same actually, the long book case along the wall, the comfortable reading char in the corner – the only difference was the desk was now a bed, and the couch was now a closet. Well that, and they had put some more family photos on the wall with him in them, and brought him a new Spinning Tops set to play with. Isshin had also bought him a stuffed dragon plushie as a joke but he didn’t realise how much Toshiro secretly loved that thing.

“We can set up the futon,” Toshiro said quickly, and tried not to shift in discomfort when Isshin’s eyes fell on him, unreadable.

“Yeah,” Rangiku backed him up. “I’ve stayed enough times now to know where everything is.”

The captain sighed and nodded. He leaned back against the other bench and watched them go about cleaning up the tea cup. He looked like he wanted to say something but hadn’t worked out how to word it yet.

After a moment, he reached over and flicked on the kettle.

“I’ll make some tea,” Isshin began. “Do you want-”

“Oh that’s okay,” Rangiku jumped up then. “I can make the tea.”

Isshin narrowed his eyes at the lieutenant.

“I’ve never known you to be so helpful, Matsumoto,” his voice held humour for the first time since they had received the news.

Rangiku scoffed, “I’m always helpful, Captain.”

“No, you’re not,” Isshin responded dryly.

Toshiro hurriedly cleaned up the broken cup as they bickered and stood again, quickly turning back to the other dishes and continuing the dry them. This time he was more careful not to drop any.

The conversation between Isshin and Rangiku was the closest thing to normal Toshiro had experienced this week, but somehow that was worse. Things couldn’t be normal again already?

Of course, he was glad that Isshin was feeling better enough now to banter with Rangiku, but it still stung.

The final plate was almost too hard to dry, because Toshiro felt his throat tightening as if someone had a hand around his neck and was squeezing. He put the final plate away with a bit more of a clatter than he meant to, and made for the exit.

“Toshiro,” Rangiku called after him. “Tea?”

Toshiro shook his head because he didn’t trust his voice. He pointed up as he turned away and moved to leave the kitchen, hoping they would understand that he meant he was going upstairs to set up the futon.

He needed a moment to clear his head before the fireworks memorial, because he knew that was going to be hard too. At least it would be dark and everyone would be looking up at the sky – they wouldn’t see him break down if it happened.

“You should go back to Mari before we have to move outside for the fireworks,” Rangiku’s voice then suggested to Isshin, softer. “I’ll bring the tea out when it’s done.”

Toshiro snuck quickly past the sitting room to get to the stairs, and pretended not to see Granny and some of her friends sitting around the fireplace, talking about Kaien as a child as they waited for their tea.

Kaien loved a tea party by the fire. Toshiro had been to several of them at the Thirteenth in the past, but it was now another thing he had to accept was lost.

So much had been lost.

* * *

Kaien’s death sent a shockwave across the Shiba family.

No one had expected it, no one knew how to react, least of all Isshin.

Kaien was his brother – his younger brother – and arguably his best friend. He was the kindest Shiba, the calmest and the most gentle. Now he and his wife were gone and no one deserved it less.

Isshin had to stay strong for his family, but he had hardly done that the night they found out.

He had lost it, truly lost it.

He had been at the Tenth that night. They had been told of Miyako’s death that day, and Isshin had been waiting for word Kaien had returned to the Thirteenth so he could meet his brother and convince him to spend a few days at home to grieve privately.

But he never came home. Not alive anyway.

Ukitake and Rukia brought his body back.

Isshin found out through a Hell Butterfly – he had been in the middle of his nightly struggle to get Toshiro to bed on time. The last thing he had expected was to find out his younger brother was dead.

He had rushed home to find Kaien’s lifeless body in the living room, his family in tears and screaming, Toshiro and Rangiku statues in the room when they arrived shortly after.

Isshin had gone numb.

He held his brother’s body for what felt like hours.

Ukitake tried to explain, but that only upset the family more.

Finding out how Kaien had died had sent Isshin over the edge.

He burned that field until it was nothing but charcoal. He burned the Hollow’s empty lair and surrounding forest, not once caring for any living creature in the area.

How dare a Hollow invade his brother’s body. How dare it kill him and Miyako.

How dare Isshin not be there to help.

He should have known Kaien would have gone after the Hollow that took his wife. Isshin, as his older brother and the head of the clan, should have been there.

He wasn’t though, and he would always live with that guilt.

He would also live with the guilt that Rangiku and Toshiro had gotten caught in his fiery rampage that resulted in the third seat’s eventual collapse and the lieutenant’s desperate, tear-filled plea for him to stop. Still Isshin saw the scattered burns the embers had left on Toshiro’s body, and he still remembered the boy being sick from the heat once he woke up.

Isshin had done that.

The captain took a much calmer approach to his grief after that. He had a family to comfort – his sweet mother grieving the loss of her (favourite) son, his brother and sister who were burning with fury and demanded heads to roll over this though the Hollow responsible was already dead.

Still, calm as he was trying to be, every morning he woke up angry. He woke up devastated. He woke up empty. He woke up in endless pain.

The more he tried to accept it, the more it hurt.

The funeral was the hardest – that’s when it became real.

Kaien was buried alongside his wife as he would have wanted, and right next to his father. Isshin’s eulogy had been shaky at best, but he had gotten through it, only for the sake of his mother in the front row. When the funeral was over, Isshin felt a slight weight leave him, like some level of closure had been achieved – but it was distressing to feel that too.

He didn’t want closure. He just wanted his brother back.

The wake had been better than Isshin had expected, though he had to force most of his smiles.

As heartbroken as they all were, Kaien and Miyako’s lives were worth celebrating. They had accomplished so much, though they had never got that child they wanted – in hindsight, that was probably a good thing, given the tragic end.

After all, Isshin had been the only one to know that Miyako was pregnant.

Still, the day was taking its toll on Isshin. It was taking its toll on his family, and after what he had just witnessed in the kitchen, he knew Toshiro and Rangiku weren’t as okay as they were trying to be.

He was utterly grateful for their presence today, his little second family that kept him grounded and sane. Still, he couldn’t pretend they weren’t hurting too – Kaien had been Rangiku’s friend, and he had been Toshiro’s uncle. They suffered too, just as much as the Shiba clan.

Rangiku had made the tea as promised and ushered Isshin back out to the sitting room. She brought the pot in a moment later before promptly disappearing to help Toshiro with the futon upstairs.

Isshin sat with Mari, watching his lieutenant’s quick retreat.

He knew what they were doing. They were trying to delay their grief, they were probably even doing it for him, trying to stay strong their captain. They were trying to hold it in but they were on the brink of breaking. It was hurting them even more to keep it inside, and it was hurting Isshin to watch.

The captain sipped on his tea quietly, only half listening as Mari and her friends chatted. Eventually Kukaku returned from the yard and told them all to move outside, ready for the fireworks memorial she and Ganju had planned.

The guests ambled out to the backyard, gathering behind the barrier Kukaku had set up and waited, almost excitedly, for the show. Isshin led Mari out and dragged a chair for her to sit in at the very front. She patted his hand in thanks as her friends seemed to surround her with front row seats as well.

As the captain straightened, he spotted Toshiro and Rangiku. They were the last to emerge from the house and stood up on the back deck, behind the crowd of mourners, and holding onto each other’s hands tightly. He had seen them doing that at the funeral too, and in the kitchen.

Overhead, the first firework was set off and it exploded blue. Isshin stared back at his subordinates though – with the flash of light on their faces, Isshin had seen the subtle glisten of the tears on their cheeks.

They had cracked, and they were lingering at the back where no one could see them.

Isshin moved through the crowd then, as more fireworks shot up with loud cannon bangs and exploded in an array of colours. The crowd ooh-ed and ahh-ed but the captain kept his focus, making a beeline to his two kids that were trembling where they stood.

They didn’t clock his approach until he was almost directly in front of them, and their wet eyes held shock and guilt. They felt ashamed for grieving Isshin’s brother.

The captain ignored that and moved between them. He reached down for Toshiro and pulled the boy up against his side, only faintly hearing the gasp of surprise before he put his arm around Rangiku and drew her close.

“Captain?” she asked, tone alarmed. “Are you o-?”

“I’m grieving my brother,” the captain told her gently. He looked into those steely blue eyes, holding her gaze. “I’m grieving your _friend_.”

Rangiku stared at him for a moment, her expression breaking, morphing as if he had just wounded her with those words. She blinked, but it was too late, the tears were flooding in. Her face crumpled.

“He was my friend,” she nodded, voice cracking. “He was-”

She sobbed then, and Isshin drew her closer for a tight hug.

“-my friend,” Rangiku choked out against the captain’s chest. She cried hard, harder than when Gin had left her.

Isshin closed his eyes and pressed a small kiss into her hair before he turned his attention on the shaking third seat in his other arm.

Toshiro stared at the fireworks in the sky, ignoring the situation and looking anywhere but at Isshin. That stoic façade was cracking but the boy underneath it was desperately denying himself the reaction.

Overhead, the next firework formed the shape of a sea blue trident when it erupted – like Kaien’s Shikai.

Isshin patted Toshiro’s leg where he held him against his side and reluctantly those teal eyes fell on him, glassy.

“Kaien loved you,” Isshin whispered to him softly, and he sent the boy a small smile. “He was always so proud of his little nephew.”

Toshiro’s face went that same wounded look Rangiku had had before his head fell suddenly against Isshin’s shoulder. The captain felt him crying more than he heard it. The little body shook, and tears soaked the captain’s formal kimono, both at the shoulder and his chest where Rangiku had her face buried.

He squeezed them both, letting them get all their emotions out, as the fireworks continued overhead, loud and beautiful.

Red, purple, gold.

Toshiro and Rangiku sobbed and shook in Isshin’s hold, crying for the couple they had lost, and the captain held them firmly while blinking back tears of his own.

It hurt every fiber of Isshin’s body to know that he would never see his own brother again. It crushed his heart that he couldn’t remember the last words he spoke to Kaien, or the last time he told his brother he loved him. That’s what stung the most.

Isshin felt so sick he wasn’t sure how he was able to stand at a time like this. His insides felt like they were ripping apart – but that’s what grief was.

They all grieved Kaien and Miyako. Their hearts were filled with immeasurable pain and sorrow, and nothing, not even time, could really heal it.

It would get easier, Isshin knew, but right now there was no escape.

It was overwhelming. It felt like drowning, it felt like no one else understood.

They did understand though. They all understood the pain, because Kaien had impacted all their lives.

Kaien’s life had been so full, not for the years he lived or the accomplishments he made, but for the lives around him that he had touched. Not a single Soul had a bad word to say about him – he had always shown kindness to others.

That’s why Kaien would be missed so much. That’s why it hurt so damn much.

Isshin released a shuddering breath as he buried his nose into Toshiro’s hair.

Toshiro and Rangiku shared his grief, and somehow that made him feel a little better.

They only grieved because they had loved.

“I love you both,” Isshin told them when the fireworks stopped.

Between hiccups and shuddering breaths, Rangiku and Toshiro murmured that they loved him too.

The captain nodded as he turned them gently, leading them back into the house before anyone could see them this way.

He vowed that he wouldn’t let another day pass where he didn’t tell them he loved them.

* * *

The day after the wake, Isshin woke up to find the sun shining again, and for the first time that week he didn’t hate it.

It felt like a new day.

He got out of bed and headed down the hall, knowing exactly where he was going. The manor was quiet – it was early, even Mari and Toshiro weren’t up yet.

Creeping quietly, Isshin reached Toshiro’s room and slipped in, finding the boy asleep in his bed. He was lying against the wall, which Isshin had seen him do before, realising the boy had a preference for the cool surface beside him.

On the futon, Rangiku slept bundled in blankets, a half empty bottle of sake abandoned beside her.

Glancing back at Toshiro, Isshin grimaced. The scrunched up tissues littered around the sleeping child didn’t go unnoticed, and neither did the dragon plushie under his arm. Isshin had bought that for him is as joke, since Toshiro hated most things that made him look like a little kid, but it looked like the joke was on him now. Toshiro was a little kid.

Sighing, Isshin moved to the bed and slipped under the covers.

It was a single bed, so it was tight but that was fine because Isshin planned on cuddling the boy close anyway.

Toshiro stirred when Isshin laid down beside him.

“Dad?” he questioned groggily.

The D word usually only slipped out by accident, but Isshin always revelled in it.

“It’s okay, go back to sleep,” Isshin murmured, slipping his arm under Toshiro’s head and throwing the other one across his middle.

The boy rolled over anyway, curling in Isshin’s chest, bringing the dragon with him.

“Are you okay?” Toshiro asked, his voice thick with sleep. “Do you need anything?”

Even half asleep, that boy knew where his priorities lie. Isshin sighed and squeezed him gently.

“I miss your uncle,” he admitted quietly, “but I feel a little better today.”

It was a long time before Toshiro said anything, and Isshin almost thought he wouldn’t, but then he felt the boy nod gently.

“Me too,” Toshiro agreed softly. “I miss him.”

Isshin swallowed as his eyes started stinging. He had hoped he’d get through today without getting emotional but he supposed he couldn’t be blamed for anything that happened before he’d had a cup of coffee.

Toshiro snuggled further into Isshin’s side, and his arm came across Isshin’s chest in a loose hug.

Gods he loved this kid. Isshin was so utterly glad to still have him in this darkening world. Toshiro was the rays of sunshine poking through heavy storm clouds – ironic, given his powers.

Isshin could just imagine Kaien in the doorway right now, leaning against the threshold with his arms crossed over his chest and a massive grin on his face. He would be smirking at the sight of his once-a-party-boy older brother cuddling a small name-less Rukongai child in a bedroom made from their father’s study.

“You’re such a dad,” Kaien would have chuckled, his infectious grin passing onto Isshin as the older Shiba flipped him off without Toshiro seeing.

Isshin could hear Kaien’s outrageous laugh and his footsteps as they walked away from the door.

It was the memory that Isshin held onto in that moment, even though it wasn’t a real memory at all. He could see it as clear as if it was one though.

And he knew his brother’s memory would never fade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be dropping back to posting every second Sunday going forward!


	28. Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toshiro has a birthday date and Rangiku has a theory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been subtle in my hints until now...

Rangiku sighed happily, her eyes closed as she laid back on the grass in the Squad Ten gardens, the sun tingling her skin warmly.

“This is better, isn’t Toshiro?” she murmured to the boy.

The third seat hummed.

“It’s nice for a short break,” he reminded her, “but we’ll have to finish that cleaning before Captain gets back.”

The lieutenant huffed for a second, the boy was such a goodie-two-shoes, even after a year of serving as her and Isshin’s third seat. She waved him off then, not wanting to think about that dreaded mess again just yet.

“It’s my birthday,” Rangiku whined. “Let me have the day off.”

“Again, your birthday was on Friday,” Toshiro muttered. “It’s now Sunday.”

“It’s my birthday weekend,” Rangiku clarified, as if that should have been enough explanation.

She cracked her eyes open long enough to see the boy shake his head disapprovingly. He was sitting beside her, under a parasol so he didn’t have to be in the sun. His bowl of noodles sat now empty in his lap, and an open book was anchored securely in his hand.

Even on weekends he wore his uniform, but Rangiku supposed he didn’t have many other items of clothing. That was a truly tragic situation and Rangiku decided to do some shopping for him (on the Squad Ten credit card, of course) next time she was in the Living World. The lieutenant herself was in a loose sundress, though she had since stripped down to a bikini so that every part of her skin could soak up the sun on what was likely to be one of the last hot days before they headed into winter.

It was officially October now, since - as Toshiro had continually reminded her - it had apparently been two days since Rangiku’s birthday.

It was her birthday two days ago that now led to the lieutenant avoiding the mess in the new Squad Ten Training Hall – the one that Toshiro kept reminding her she had to finish cleaning up.

See, she’d had a party - a big one.

Being that it was her first birthday without Gin, as her boyfriend was on a three month long mission with Captain Aizen in the Hueco Mundo, Rangiku had wanted the distraction of a party. Isshin, who was always wary of Rangiku’s parties, told her she could only have a small gathering, or she would be the one to clean it up this time – clearly he hadn’t forgotten the Valentine’s Day party she threw in the barracks back in the sixties (long story short – it was a disaster).

Well, her birthday party hadn’t been a small one, that was for sure, and unfortunately Isshin followed through on his word, and now Rangiku was tasked to clean it up while he had a relaxing weekend back at Shiba Manor.

Thankfully Toshiro had offered to help her on his day off; he had seen her trying to work the mop bucket and decided she needed drastic help.

“I can’t believe the captain is making me clean this up,” she had whined, not for the first time that morning, “and on my birthday no less!”

Sweeping confetti up a few metres away, Toshiro had shrugged.

“Your birthday was on Friday, Lieutenant,” the boy corrected her (also not for the first time), “and you made this mess after you promised the captain you were only having a small get together.”

Annoyingly correct as always.

The lieutenant had frowned, glancing around the hall.

Despite cleaning for hours, nothing seemed to have changed. They had collected all the empty bottles and cups, and managed to get most of the sashimi slices off the roof, but the floor was still sticky and there was confetti and glitter everywhere! Rangiku had had two showers since the party and she was sure there was still glitter on her body.

She had also found out very quickly that Toshiro didn’t like balloons, when he jumped out of his skin when one popped near him. After that, he gave them a wide berth and asked her to warn him if she was going to pop any so he could cover his ears. She didn’t warn him though, just for a laugh.

“How did we make so much mess?” Rangiku had muttered then, glancing around the hall and wiping her forehead that was now starting to sweat from all the hard labour.

“I don’t know,” Toshiro answered, despite the question being rhetorical. “Captain Shiba sent me to bed once Lieutenant Hisagi and Lieutenant Kira took off their hakama pants.”

Rangiku had to bite her lip to stifle the laugh. Yes, that was when things really had started to get out of hand, and it had only been about nine o’clock.

Isshin had sent Toshiro to his bunk very quickly after that.

The two of them had continued to clean, though the confetti seemed to only spread further despite their incessant sweeping, until well after lunch. Rangiku knew things were dire when Toshiro started to complain, his whines only growing more frequent as he grew hungry.

That’s when they had decided to take a break, and they took their lunch into the barrack gardens so Rangiku could make the most of what was left of her Sunday afternoon.

Toshiro inhaled his noodles before he took to reading, while Rangiku closed her eyes and laid back. Haineko purred contentedly inside her, as the sun absorbed into her skin.

Lying there on the grass, Rangiku let her thoughts fall back to Gin. She missed him terribly, and she wished they had better contact through the two worlds than just the Soul Phone text messages that seemed to take hours to go through. He seemed a little distant, and Rangiku didn’t like that.

He should have been at the party last night, after all it was him who gave her the birthday date in the first place. They had just been kids in the Rukongai, when Rangiku had revealed she didn’t know her birthday since she had no memories of her human life other than her name. Gin had decided then that her birthday would be the day they met – the twenty-ninth of September. Rangiku treasured it dearly, and every year she made a big deal of her birthday because she was so grateful to have been given one.

Many Souls who couldn’t remember their human birthday’s tended to get new ones, but it was one of those awkward things you shouldn’t pick yourself – it was seen as something you should be _given_. Due to that, there were still plenty of Souls out there, alone in the Rukongai or even in the Seireitei, who simply had no birthday. Rangiku couldn’t think of anything sadder-

“Toshiro!” Rangiku came back to reality suddenly, a new thought bursting forth in her mind. She sat up instantly, eyes snapping open and to the boy under the parasol. “You have been with the squad for over a year now and you haven’t had a birthday yet!”

“Yes I did,” Toshiro murmured, not glancing up from his book.

“You did?” Rangiku blinked. She felt guilty and confused – she couldn’t remember a birthday for the boy, and the lieutenant always remembered birthday dates. “When?”

“Twentieth of December,” Toshiro shrugged, eyes still moving across his page rapidly, as if he was only half listening.

Rangiku frowned, trying to remember. December was months ago, she definitely couldn’t recall celebrating anything with the boy, and she didn’t think Christmas could have overshadowed it in her mind. Birthdays were too important to her, she wouldn’t have let it go uncelebrated, and she knew Isshin wouldn’t have let it go uncelebrated either.

“We didn’t know it was your birthday,” Rangiku pouted at the boy, voice turning widely. “We would have celebrated if we knew!”

The boy shrugged again, reading on.

“I don’t normally celebrate it,” Toshiro stated, voice casual. “I don’t really care, to be honest.”

“You don’t normally celebrate it?” Rangiku repeated, frown dipping. “You’ve only been in the Soul Society for two years now, right?”

Toshiro started to sigh as he looked up from his book, like he was already bored of this conversation, but the second his eyes fell onto her confused ones, the boy stilled, his sigh cutting off. He seemed to realise something.

“How do you even have a birthday when you have no memories?” Rangiku asked offhandedly, speaking before she even thought too hard about the question.

The boy was still, eyes wide for just a second too long.

Rangiku stilled then too. _Wait-_

“Hyorinmaru chose it,” Toshiro’s answer was blurted out suddenly.

“Your Zanpakuto gave you a birthday?” Rangiku raised an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Toshiro nodded slowly, his expression thoughtful for a moment. He looked like he was just deciding that.

“December twentieth,” Rangiku murmured, still frowning.

Rangiku wasn’t great maths, but something felt off here. He didn’t _normally_ celebrate it, the language had been specific. How many birthdays had to pass uncelebrated for Toshiro to class it as normal behaviour? At most, he could have only had two birthdays here, and only _one_ with a Zanpakuto he could talk to.

Why did she get the feeling she was being lied to?

“Why the twentieth of December?” she asked then, curious and not totally believing the story she was being given.

“Ice dragons like winter,” Toshiro batted back quickly, like he was expecting the question. “The twentieth was the Winter Solstice the year I arrived.”

 _The year he arrived._ That meant he had entered the Soul Society earlier than Rangiku thought, if only by a couple months, though that didn’t necessarily mean he had _lied_ so much as not realised how much time had passed. Rangiku remembered her time in the Rukongai; time had been irrelevant to her as someone with no routine, family or place to go.

Rangiku chewed her own lip as she thought. She didn’t know why it was bothering her, but it was. Toshiro’s reasoning added up the more he spoke but something pulled in Rangiku’s gut that wasn’t clicking.

It was possible, Rangiku supposed, that the boy had chosen his own birthday date and was now too embarrassed to admit that. Still, the lieutenant had a far stronger feeling about her other theory...

Toshiro stood quickly then, closing the parasol and picking up his noodle bowl.

“We should get back to cleaning,” he stated. “Captain Shiba will be back soon.”

He turned sharply and left without waiting for a response, or any indication Rangiku was going to follow.

The lieutenant watched him go with a frown, her mental cogs turning.

_Did Toshiro remember his human birthday?_

* * *

The conversation left an uneasy feeling in Rangiku’s stomach.

She had ended up telling Isshin what Toshiro had told her when he had returned from the manor. He had mostly brushed off her concerns, though Rangiku knew it was going to sit in his mind too now.

“Did you know Toshiro has a birthday date?” Rangiku had greeted him with the second he walked through the gates that Sunday evening.

“When is it?” Isshin had asked, seemingly affronted by the sudden appearance of his lieutenant but curious about the topic she had brought with her.

She knew he would have been feeling a little guilty at the fact the kid’s birthday had slipped through the cracks until now.

“The twentieth of December,” Rangiku answered, falling into step with the captain as he continued through the barracks towards his quarters. “He said Hyorinmaru gave it to him.”

“A Zanpakuto gave its’ host a birthday?” Isshin scoffed and Rangiku had to agree; the thought was almost ridiculous.

Zanpakutos didn’t concern themselves with something as trivial as a Soul’s birthday. It was far too human for them, not to mention they lived forever and rarely sought to keep track of such a useless thing as age. Even knowing Toshiro was closer to his own Zanpakuto than most, Rangiku just couldn’t see why Hyorinmaru would have got involved in that. Haineko didn’t even bother to get involved in the conversation about it when Rangiku had tried to engage her own Zanpakuto in the matter.

“So you don’t believe it either?” Rangiku asked quickly, after his agreement to justify her growing paranoia.

“Not for a second,” Isshin chuckled, “Toshiro is shy though, he probably didn’t want to admit to picking his own date. Just let him have it, a winter birthday is a good suit for him.”

“But the way he answered when I asked makes me believe there is more to it,” Rangiku added hurriedly. “Like it slipped out accidentally and he had to back pedal with this story about Hyorinmaru.”

“Yeah because he was embarrassed to let you know he picked his own date,” Isshin shrugged, not fazed.

“I really don’t think so,” Rangiku murmured quietly, keeping her pace with him. “I think it’s his human birthday.”

“Rangiku,” Isshin rolled his eyes. “If the kid can’t remember his own name, I doubt he can remember his birthday.”

“Maybe he does remember his name,” Rangiku suggested lowly. “Maybe he remembers more than we think.”

That’s what had been playing on Rangiku’s mind, that’s what was making her stomach so uneasy. She remembered finding Toshiro in Hitsugaya. She had asked his name and he had shrugged, so she had just assumed.

That made Isshin stop to look at her properly. His eyes swept over her face, reading her seriousness and concern.

The captain sighed then, conceding a little.

“Well if he does – and I’m not saying I believe that – but _if_ he does, he obviously doesn’t want us to know,” the captain murmured, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “We have to respect that. You know how painful it can be for Souls to remember, let’s not force that on him.”

Rangiku sighed. Her captain was right, she did know it was painful to remember. Not for her, since she didn’t, but she could always tell when Gin was thinking about his human life. He only remembered bits and pieces but what he did remember hurt him. He had only opened up to Rangiku about it once, but Gin had told her that he remembered his mother, and her voice singing to him. It was a happy memory, but he found it too painful to speak about, even now. It was too hard for him to let go of it.

She thought about Toshiro and sighed. Maybe she was wrong, like Isshin seemed to think, or maybe she was right, but she couldn’t force the truth out of Toshiro. If he had something he wanted to come to her about, he would when he was ready.

“Fine, I’ll let it go,” Rangiku murmured. Isshin nodded and nicked her chin before he turned away, continuing on towards his quarters.

“That hall better be clean when I go in there tomorrow morning, Matsumoto!” Isshin called over his shoulder, just when Rangiku was sure she had escaped that conversation.

Groaning, Rangiku turned toward the hall and dragged her feet all the way there. She hadn’t followed Toshiro back, she didn’t even know if he had gone back to clean or if he had just ran off after their conversation.

Of course he hadn’t though, and Rangiku entered the hall to find it almost completely cleaned.

Toshiro was there, mopping now, and working his way from the front of the hall to the entrance at the back. All of the rubbish sat in bags by the door, and the smell of stale alcohol had been aired out through the open windows.

Rangiku grinned. This kid was too good.

“Nice of you to show up, Lieutenant,” Toshiro muttered, catching a glimpse of her standing in the doorway.

“You’ve done a really great job, Toshiro,” Rangiku ignored his tone and beamed at the boy. “I should talk to the captain about getting you a pay raise.”

The boy hummed in agreement.

“Maybe he can cut it from your pay?” the third seat suggested, tone dry as it always was when he was being cheeky.

“Hey now, I need that money,” Rangiku pretended to look offended. “How else am I going to afford your birthday present in under three months.”

Toshiro paused in his mopping, turning to look at her. He looked unsure, almost too scared to say anything in case he said something wrong.

Rangiku was still sure about her theory, but she pretended she wasn’t. As she promised Isshin, she had let it go.

“Captain and I are going to make sure you celebrate it this year!” Rangiku exclaimed happily, feeling some excitement build in her now. Like she said, birthdays were important to her, whether they were made up or not. “I’m sure we can fit in another party between Captain’s birthday on the tenth, and Christmas-”

“I don’t want a party,” Toshiro cut in quickly. Rangiku glanced down at him in surprise. The kid swallowed, swapping the mop stick to his other hand, and looking down at his feet.

“No party?” Rangiku pouted. “If you’re worried about the mess, I can-”

“I just want to spend the day with you and Captain,” the boy spoke quietly. “If that’s okay?”

Rangiku looked down at the boy, and internalised her sigh. Whatever his issue was with his birthday, he wasn’t ready to make a big fuss of it. The lieutenant nodded, though Toshiro wasn’t looking at her, and she moved closer to wrap him in a loose hug.

“Sure, we can do that,” Rangiku assured him. “We can play games and maybe it will snow so we can play outside?”

“That would be nice,” Toshiro murmured against her.

“We can even have cake,” Rangiku continued until the boy pulled back from her, eyes comically wide with fear.

“Not baked by you, right?” he asked, eyes narrowing.

Rangiku’s jaw dropped in offence. Her baking not good? Please.

Still, given she had almost poisoned the boy that one time, she supposed she understood his fears.

“We can buy one,” she told him.

“Maybe an ice cream cake?” teal eyes lit up and Rangiku felt herself melt at the sight.

Finally, Toshiro seemed like a kid actually excited for his birthday. That’s how it should be.

“I’m sure that can be arranged,” the lieutenant chucked.

Toshiro gasped then.

“Mint chocolate chip?”

“Really, Toshiro?”

“It tastes like winter!”

Rangiku rolled her eyes, feeling Toshiro almost bouncing in excitement. She knew that _he knew_ that she hated mint chocolate anything, even though he clearly loved it. Still, she supposed it was his birthday, and it was important to her that he got everything he wanted on that day.

And maybe one day, he would be able to tell him where he really got the date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theories? Drop them in a comment!
> 
> Also happy birthday to my queen for Tuesday! I will be posting a HitsuMatsu college AU, titled ‘Dress’, on the day to celebrate! If you like that pairing, keep an eye out for it!


	29. Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 5 times Toshiro held Isshin’s hand and 1 time Isshin held Toshiro’s.

1.

Isshin paced the study at Shiba Manor restlessly. He was still furious that his brother and sister had so recklessly allowed Toshiro to light fireworks during the testing phase, but even the captain had been surprised by his loud outburst downstairs just moments ago.

He tried to justify it, thinking about how Toshiro had saved Mari from an intruder only a couple of weeks ago, and how that meant that the Shibas now owed him, or how Kukaku and Ganju should have been far more careful to not injure a child with their business, thus putting a bad name to them and the Shiba clan in general. In reality however, Isshin’s chest was tightening because he felt fear, not anger or embarrassment. He had exploded at his family downstairs because Toshiro had been put in harm’s way and been hurt – that’s all he cared about it and it wasn’t because he thought they owed him anything.

They did owe him, but that was a separate thought.

Isshin had seen Rangiku’s knowing smirks and Mari’s poorly hidden smiles over the last few weeks and knew what they were implying. The captain had thoroughly denied it, more in an effort to convince himself than others, but he could no longer pretend anymore.

He cared for the boy, more than he had ever expected too – more than anyone had expected him too.

There was a timid knock and Isshin turned quickly to see shy teal eyes peering at him between the threshold and the ajar door.

“I’m ready to study?” the boy seemed to ask, uncertainty in his voice. He had a book tucked under his arm which he gestured to, as if to make his point.

He was often like that with him, Isshin had noticed. The captain wasn’t sure if it was a shyness thing, or intimidation, or perhaps he was still reeling from their rocky start when Toshiro had first been brought to them by Rangiku. His eyes often held wariness, like he was being cautious.

Isshin stopped pacing and gestured the boy into the room.

“How is your hand?” the captain asked, eyes dropping to where the boy held his now bandaged hand against his stomach.

The other hand came up to cover it, as if Isshin’s mere gaze hurt it.

“It’s okay,” Toshiro answered quietly.

Brown eyes flickered back up to teal as they locked stares for a moment.

Toshiro’s voice was small, decreasing the convincing power of his answer and the fact Isshin had seen him not ten minutes ago burying his face in Mari’s kimono, presumably to stop them seeing his tears or pained expression.

The captain reached for Toshiro’s shoulder and gently steered him to the couch in the study.

They sat and Isshin eyed the wrap job his sister had done to the kid’s hand as the boy maneuvered the book from under his arm to his lap. Messy, as Kukaku always was. The captain huffed and reached for the boy’s hand.

“Let me fix tha-”

Toshiro’s other hand, the unburnt one, caught Isshin’s quickly, and the captain paused. He glanced up at Toshiro’s eyes again, the pack of his mind faintly registering the cold fingers moving over his hand carefully. It surprised Isshin that something that felt so cold could also be so soft and gentle.

“It’s okay,” Toshiro repeated, with much more conviction this time. His wide eyes were careful as they ever were around him, but they also held a touch of… was that _concern_ Isshin saw?

Toshiro squeezed Isshin’s hand, as if to reassure him, before he gently let go.

A quiet moment passed between the two of them, as Isshin’s brain tried to fully comprehend the fact that Toshiro was the injured one but he was trying to calm the captain.

After a minute, Toshiro reached for the book in his lap, opening it up.

“I did my readings,” he murmured, flicking through to find his page and moving on from the moment they had just shared.

Isshin watched, still surprised and still feeling the residual chill on his skin when Toshiro had held his hand, as short lived as it was, to try and reassure him.

This was why he cared about the boy so much, Isshin realised, because Toshiro had a heart of gold, not of ice.

* * *

2.

Naturally Toshiro had aced his entry exam into the Spiritual Arts Academy, and after tutoring him for the last month, Isshin was not the least bit surprised by this.

He was still surprised, however, by how much his care factor had increased for the boy. Isshin felt guilty now, for his original approach to the injured street kid that had been brought to him, for referring to him as a stray dog and worse, for suggesting they just let him reincarnate. The captain was glad Rangiku and Mari had fought him tooth and nail because they were right – Toshiro was too good a Soul to not be given a chance.

The morning of his first day at the Academy came quickly.

Isshin and Rangiku had promised to walk him there on his first day, since entering the Seireitei for the first time could be an extremely intimidating experience, especially for a kid who would look entirely out of place, even in his new uniform.

Mari fussed over him before they left, of course. At one point, she got her old fashioned camera out and tried to take several pictures of the boy in the blue and white. Toshiro looked alarmed at that, so Isshin saved him quickly.

“Okay Mum, we best be off,” Isshin reached for Toshiro’s shoulder and steered him towards the front door. “We wouldn’t want him to be late on his first day.”

“Of course,” Mari all but wept as she hurried after them. At the door, she gave Toshiro hug number ninety-eight for that morning. “I know they have food there but I packed you some amanatto anyway. Good luck today and don’t forget to call and write.”

Toshiro nodded and thanked her, his voice tight. Isshin rolled his eyes and dragged the boy from Mari’s arms and out the door. Rangiku followed them, giggling softly as she waved back to Mari on the porch, the three of them setting off towards the Seireitei gates.

“Was she that bad on your first day at the Academy, Captain?” Rangiku teased Isshin once they were out of earshot.

“This was worse,” Isshin sighed. “Even worse than when Kaien left the nest and I didn’t think she was ever going to recover from that.”

That earned a grin from Toshiro, the boy very much aware of who was the favourite Shiba child in the past.

Three of them walked on. Rangiku talked, reminiscing about her time in the Academy – her favourite classes, the big parties and the social clubs. Isshin threw her a glare when she pointed out the best place to get sake from and her favourite ‘study hacks’ which largely pertained to copying the answers of the person beside her.

They were bickering about whether that was something she should say to the impressionable young student walking between them, when they came up to the Junrinan town centre. Busy as always, the place bustled with Souls as Isshin and his companions pushed through the hectic streets.

Isshin paused, feeling a cold hand grab his.

Glancing down, the captain found Toshiro holding his hand tightly, staying close as he looked around the busy town with wide, rather fearful eyes. Glancing up, the captain noticed the dirty stares from the Junrinan residents.

He was used to them, of course. Rukongai Souls hated Soul Reapers, even the ones from the wealthier districts such as Junrinan. After all his decades of service, the captain ignored them so easily, he forgot they even looked at him that way. It was unfortunately something Toshiro was going to have to get used to as well. Sighing, Isshin squeezed Toshiro’s hand and led him on through the street.

Toshiro hurried on little legs, staying close. For the rest of the journey, and in fact all the way until the Seireitei gates, the boy held onto Isshin’s hand tightly, even after they got out of the Junrinan town centre.

Rangiku noticed, and sent Isshin a wicked grin that he was sure was going to come with follow up teasing later. Still the captain didn’t mind. The kid holding his hand made him feel trusted, and Isshin was grateful Toshiro could feel that way about him after their tricky start.

The captain knew he was yet to truly earn that trust though, and that was why he was going to keep a close eye on the boy throughout his years at the Academy.

Toshiro would always have a hand to hold if he needed it.

* * *

3.

There was a time, early in Toshiro’s career at Squad Ten, that Isshin needed to go to the Living World to speak to an old… acquaintance. The captain decided to take Toshiro with him, since the new third seat had never been.

There was no doubt that sooner or later the boy would have a mission in that world, so the captain thought it best to bring him along for some experience.

It went well. Toshiro grew used to the gigai after a couple of hours wandering around the streets, but other than that, he blended into the human world easily, unsurprised by anything he saw or experienced while he was there. Isshin took him to the shopping centre to see the modern world and the kid had endless fun when they stumbled into an arcade.

They even came across a low-end Hollow, one that Toshiro cut down effortlessly, saving a small girl and her mother, Pluses, before they even knew what was about to happen to them. The third seat carried out the konso and off they went.

Deciding he couldn’t really put off the main reason for his visit any longer, Isshin reluctantly arrived outside the candy store. At the entrance, a black cat sat eyeing him up through all too familiar golden eyes.

“The Urahara Shop?” Toshiro squinted up at the sign, a frown on his features. “You don’t mean… Former Squad Twelve Captain Urahara?”

Isshin nodded carefully. He hadn’t expected the boy to make that connection so quickly. Alas, the boy was far too intelligent for his own good.

“The Gotei Thirteen exiled him, yet we still buy a lot from him, mostly products to help Soul Reapers on their Living World missions,” Isshin sighed. “It’s a bit taboo, but he’s the best in the business.”

Urahara was the only one in the business, really, except his successor who was even creepier and far worse to deal with. Alas, he was the lesser of two evils.

“Can you wait out here for me?” Isshin asked the boy, not really ready for Toshiro to meet the man just yet. “I’ll only be a minute.”

The third seat nodded, disciplined as always.

Isshin moved forward to the shop, holding the cat’s stare as he walked past. He liked her more when she had been his neighbour.

Thankfully the interaction with Urahara was brief. Isshin got what he needed and a few minutes later, he left the store, wandering back out into the sunlight to find Toshiro sitting on the concrete driveway, black cat in his lap and patting her gently.

The cat purred happily at Toshiro’s gentle affection.

“Careful, Toshiro,” Isshin told the boy. “She bites.”

The cat smirked, if one could call it that, but Toshiro was oblivious.

“She’s very cute,” the boy grinned.

“She used to be,” Isshin commented dryly.

The cat hissed at him, deeply offended, and jumped from Toshiro’s lap. Isshin rolled his eyes as it hurried back into the shop.

Toshiro was pouting as he stood, brushing the excess fur off his human clothes.

“That’s the first cat that’s ever let me hold it,” he murmured sadly.

Isshin decided then it wasn’t the right time to tell him that the cat was in fact the former Stealth Force Commander, professional assassin and noble clan princess, Yoruichi Shihoin.

“Come on,” the captain sighed, turning away from the shop and heading out to the road again. “Let’s get some ice cream before we go.”

Toshiro followed, and caught up to him as they made it to a busy intersection. If the boy was surprised by the presence of cars and other vehicles that were not seen in the Soul Society, he didn’t say anything.

Isshin had been just about to step out onto the busy road, well-seasoned enough to know how to cross a road in the Living World without being run over, even in a gigai. He was stopped, however, when Toshiro suddenly grabbed his hand.

“We have to wait for the green man,” the boy answered simply when Isshin glanced back at him, and he pointed up to the pedestrian traffic lights.

Isshin went to scoff and snort, about to chuckle at the childishness of it all, but he shut his mouth quickly, spotting the family on the opposite side of the road, waiting to cross as well. Mother and father, with twin boys who might have been Toshiro’s age (or human equivalent) and a baby in a pram – the mother pushed the pram, and the father stood beside her, holding a hand each of the twins.

Minus the mother, the baby and one of the twins and it was almost a mirror image of Toshiro holding Isshin’s hand right now.

The captain felt something strange stir in his stomach as the cars finally stopped for them, and the green man lit up opposite them.

Toshiro continued to hold his hand as they crossed the road, and as they passed the family, the father sent Isshin a knowing grin, like they were both part of a secret dads club or something.

“Got to teach these kids about road safety, right?” he chuckled to Isshin, eyes rolling slightly.

“Yeah,” the captain chuckled weakly, frowning as the family moved past them and out of sight.

They made it across the road, safely obviously, but Toshiro seemed to hold Isshin’s hand all the way to the ice cream shop. Isshin mulled on it quietly, noting first how Toshiro’s hand was no longer cold now that he had learned control over his powers, and secondly that a pattern seemed to be forming – it appeared that Toshiro liked to hold hands when travelling with him.

After the ice cream shop, where Toshiro had dropped his hand in favour of holding his cup of mint chocolate chip ice cream, they came up to another road crossing which would lead them back to the quiet forest where they intended to re-open the Senkaimon. It was there that Toshiro held Isshin’s hand again, though this time there was no green man or heavy traffic. It was zebra crossing that gave them right of way and not a car in sight either direction.

Isshin felt the little hand grab his but said nothing this time, half expecting it now.

Was Toshiro just trying to blend in with the humans? Was he really concerned about road safety?

Or was he genuinely treating Isshin as a father right now?

Isshin found himself hoping it was the latter.

* * *

4.

Toshiro was quiet on the walk home from the Thirteenth, though Isshin was putting that down to largely exhaustion in the wake of being drugged by a mad scientist.

The boy promised he felt fine, though he would rather go straight to bed than eat dinner once they got back to the Tenth.

Rangiku too was uncharacteristically quiet, but Isshin knew that she, like him, was still trying to process the drama of the day as reality set in.

Kurotsuchi had tried to kill Toshiro – the Squad Twelve Captain could call it what he wants, ‘research’ or ‘an experiment’, but it was still murder that he had intended.

The Head Captain had promised to throw the man in the Maggots’ Nest, but that wasn’t good enough. Kurotsuchi could very well try again, and next time they might not get so lucky.

Isshin would rather die than let that happen.

He seethed silently, feeling his anger rise in him when he spotted the flags marking the point of the Squad Twelve barracks. They weren’t going to walk directly past it, but even seeing the flags was enough for Isshin to feel his fiery Zanpakuto burning hotter inside him.

It was a stark and jarring contrast when he felt Toshiro’s hand slip into his, his skin cold. Isshin paused to glance down at the boy, but those teal eyes were staring hard at the ground as they walked.

Toshiro liked to hold hands when travelling with Isshin or Rangiku, but never inside the Seireitei gates where he could be embarrassed.

It had been a long time since Isshin had felt Toshiro’s hands so cold. Outside of when there was an obvious reason, such as playing in the snow or training with his Shikai, Toshiro’s skin was usually a normal temperature. He was rarely warm, but he had enough control over his powers now to not let it exhibit on his skin.

Of course, the other reason Toshiro might usually turn cold was when he was feeling more heightened negative emotions, such as anger or fear.

The captain spotted the boy glance up at the flags quickly before ducking his head again, sinking just a little bit closer to Isshin as they continued walking.

Fear it was then.

Rangiku, who never missed anything (except drill training three times a week), shared a grimace with Isshin.

Internalising the sigh, the captain squeezed Toshiro’s hand gently.

“What book should we read tonight?” Isshin asked him gently, his earlier anger quelling for a moment to comfort the kid. “Something new or ‘The Tales of Toshiro’ for the millionth time?”

Isshin saw the hint of a smirk on his third seat’s features.

“I’ve only read it thirty-eight times to date,” Toshiro mumbled, his tone somewhere between humoured and embarrassed. “It’s your turn to choose anyway.”

The captain chuckled.

“Well then I’ll end up reading a romantic spy novel to you,” Isshin smirked, “and you’ll get bored of that quickly.”

“I’ll be asleep three pages in,” Toshiro agreed with a nod, his grin that little bit cheeky but Isshin reveled in it.

“I’ve got a book you could read,” Rangiku’s voice was sly as she chimed in. “It’s called-”

“No!” Isshin cut over her, with a little more aggression and panic that he wanted which caused Toshiro to jump a little in shock.

Rangiku didn’t read often, unless it was a glossy-covered fashion or gossip magazine, but when she did she only read erotica. That was something Isshin had to live with knowing, but their little bookworm third seat could wait a few more centuries to find that out.

The she-devil of a lieutenant cackled her witch laugh while Toshiro only frowned in confusion. The boy did know one thing about his lieutenant and that was to not ask follow up questions when she laughed like that.

Eventually, between him and Toshiro, it was decided they would read ‘The Tales of Toshiro’ for the thirty-ninth time that night. The captain didn’t mind, and he suspected Toshiro just wanted something familiar and comfortable after his terrifying ordeal and the whacked out version of reality he had experienced today.

The rest of the walk was quiet again, but this time Rangiku filled the silence as she talked about the latest questionable and somewhat unethical projects of the SWA.

Toshiro stayed close to Isshin, his little hand holding Isshin’s far bigger one firmly, even once they were well past the Twelfth Division barracks.

He didn’t let go until they came in sight of the Squad Ten guard towers.

* * *

5.

Isshin woke up to horrifically bright artificial lights overhead, and an angry and persistent pain in his- well… all over really.

Isshin woke up to crisp, somewhat scratchy white sheets that were definitely not his own, and a continuous and steady mechanical beeping.

Isshin woke up to an almost ice cold vice grip around his hand and quiet murmurs, the pitch of the voices off and the odd sniffle to break them up.

Isshin woke up to sickening memories of battle gone horrifically wrong.

The captain blinked a couple times and tilted his head towards the voices. Black spots covered his vision for a moment, a result of staring up at the fluorescent lights even for a second, but they soon cleared and he saw them.

Toshiro, wrapped in Rangiku’s comforting embrace, his face buried in her neck but his hand sticking out to hold Isshin’s tightly. Rangiku held him close, her arm around his back and the other hand in his hair. Her eyes were closed, and she murmured quiet words of comfort to him, but the captain could see by the way Toshiro’s shoulders were shaking that he was crying.

That hurt Isshin more than the Hollow ever could.

“My boy,” Isshin tried to call out to him as he squeezed the boy’s hand, but his voice was broken and hoarse.

Still, they heard him. Toshiro and Rangiku’s gazes snapped to him instantly and a second later their faces crumpled with fresh tears.

The pain in Isshin’s chest increased at that and he tugged gently at Toshiro’s hand, pulling the boy closer.

“Your injuries!” Toshiro tried to warn, voice wet, but Isshin shushed him and pulled him closer until he could grip his uniform enough to pull him up to his chest.

The boy didn’t fight him after that and maneuvered himself onto the hospital bed, lying close to Isshin and continuing to sob.

Isshin reached out for Rangiku next and the lieutenant hovered over them both, resting her head on Toshiro’s back and extending her arm over him and Isshin’s chest gently.

They continued to cry as Isshin murmured to them that he was okay. He hugged them as tight as he could with his injuries and they buried themselves close.

They couldn’t speak, and neither could Isshin really, but he knew that they had thought they were going to lose him. They thought he was gone, just like Kaien.

Six months later, but it was still so fresh.

“I’m here,” Isshin croaked. “I’m still here.”

* * *

+1.

One the anniversary of Kaien and Miyako’s wedding, the Shiba clan decided to have a picnic by the stream at the outskirts of Junrinan where they had met. Kaien and Miyako had always celebrated their anniversary that way, and now that they were gone, their family wanted to carry on the tradition.

It was painful still, but Isshin knew it always would be.

The family did their best though, to turn tears into laughs, quivering lips into knowing grins, sadness at their brother and sister-in-law’s death into joy for the lives they had lived, and that they had been so lucky to be a part of it.

For the most part, that first wedding anniversary without the couple had been handled well. It was a better date, one the Shibas could actually attempt to celebrate, rather than the anniversary of their deaths.

Toshiro came of course, as Kaien and Miyako’s unofficial little nephew, and Rangiku too, as their friend.

Taking away the internal pain they were all struggling with, the picnic had been nice. Ganju and Toshiro went swimming in the stream, as no doubt Kaien would have if he were there. Rangiku had Mari in a fit of laughter with her story about Kaien’s academy days, and even Kukaku managed to go the day without muttering hateful remarks about Soul Reapers (thankfully she made exceptions for the Soul Reapers still in the family).

When the sun started to set, they decided to pack up and leave.

Isshin felt a weight lift off his chest then, seeing his family content with the day as they headed back to the manor. He felt responsible for their grief, as clan leader and head of the family, and it wasn’t an easy burden.

Still, they looked happy, and the feeling was light again, so Isshin felt relief.

Toshiro walked beside the captain, carrying the picnic blanket that even when rolled up was too big for him to carry in just one arm, and talking excitedly about a skink lizard he had seen on a large boulder by the stream (thankfully he didn’t want to keep that one, so Isshin didn’t have to worry about Tobio getting a friend today).

Isshin glanced down at the boy and smiled softly seeing his animated expression as he gushed. Toshiro reminded him a lot of Kaien as a kid; the adventurous spirit in him, the gentle heart, not to mention the affinity with water.

Wordlessly, Isshin reached down and plucked the picnic blanket from the boy’s arms. Toshiro’s story was cut short as he glanced up at the captain in confusion. Tucking the blanket under his arm, Isshin reached down with his free hand and caught Toshiro’s own. Understanding settled on the kid’s face and he squeezed back before turning forward again and resuming his lizard story.

Isshin looked forward too as they continued to walk, his family not far behind. He was still smiling softly, staring into the sunset ahead.

He never forgot the last sunset walk he had taken with Kaien.

_The Shiba brothers were walking towards their family manor, having bumped into each other at the West Gate, for the weekly Thursday night dinner._

_It was just the two of them front the Seireitei attending that night, with Miyako in bed with a stomach bug, Toshiro on a mission in the Living World and Rangiku nursing yet another all-day hangover._

_“Quiet one then?” Kaien chuckled as they walked. “No doubt Mum still would have cooked too much.”_

_Isshin laughed, thinking about how Rangiku usually shovelled food in her mouth with little grace and Toshiro had Mari continually filling his plate even as he started to look sick from overeating._

_Maybe it was the vivid image of the boy in his mind that had Isshin forgetting for a moment that Toshiro wasn’t actually there with him, but before Isshin knew what he was doing, he was reaching for the boy’s hand to hold it through Junrinan._

_The hand he grabbed was far bigger, and rougher from decades longer of sword fighting._

_Isshin’s eyes snapped to Kaien in surprise as his younger brother stared at him with a raised brow and confused eyes._

_“What are you doing?” Kaien asked, tone humoured._

_Immediately Isshin released his brother’s hand, realising the mistake._

_“Sorry,” the captain laughed – he supposed it was funny, though his cheeks were a little heated. “I forgot you weren’t Toshiro.”_

_Kaien’s smirk was wicked. Isshin internalised the sigh, knowing what was to follow. Here we go again..._

_“Oh so you didn’t just want to hold my hand then?” Kaien teased, tone mock offended and his expression challenging. “Used to hold my hand all the time when we were kids, but noooo, now Isshin has gone and grown up-”_

_“You’re being dramatic again, I see,” the captain interjected with a shake of his head and a slight huff. “How immature, like always. Damn water types-”_

_“- too embarrassed to hold his little brother’s hand,” Kaien continued, blatantly ignoring him. He pointed an accusatory finger at Isshin. “How come Toshiro gets to hold hands with you but not me?”_

_Isshin rolled his eyes, but his own smirk couldn’t recede._

_“Well Toshiro’s a lot cuter than you,” the captain pointed out._

_“Well that’s true,” Kaien pouted playfully._

_“Not to mention he’s a child,” Isshin continued, “and you’re an adult.”_

_“Excuses, excuses,” Kaien muttered with an eye roll._

_Isshin shrugged, unembarrassed now._

_“He feels uneasy walking through Junrinan because of the dirty looks he gets,” Isshin explained lightly. “It’s become a bit of a habit now that he holds my hand when we’re travelling through the town.”_

_And when they were travelling most places, if Isshin was being honest, as long as they were out of sight from Souls that could tease him about it._

_Kaien sighed then and nodded his acceptance, seemingly understanding that much._

_“Seriously though,” the lieutenant rolled his eyes after they made it through the busy Junrinan centre. “When are you going to adopt that kid?”_

_Isshin couldn’t help but grin at that._

_“Honestly, I thought about it,” he admitted with a shrug. “I would do it in an instant if I didn’t think we would cop so much backlash from the other noble clans.”_

_There was uproar when Byakuya married below his station, and there was an even bigger uproar when he adopted Rukia from Hanging Dog. If Isshin adopted Toshiro, the backlash would be even worse because Toshiro would be directly in line to inherit everything and would assume Isshin’s clan leader position one day. The difference with the Kuchikis was that Rukia was adopted in as Byakuya’s sister, not his daughter – she would never become the clan leader unless Byakuya and his father died, and Byakuya hadn’t produced an heir by then (though, to be fair, it wasn’t looking like the man was going to produce an heir any time soon)._

_Isshin didn’t wish that backlash on Toshiro, neither did he really wish the clan leader role for him either. It wasn’t as glorious as it sounded, it was just a headache and a lot of unnecessary pressure – it was a burden, not a gift._

_Kaien shrugged anyway._

_“I still think you should do it,” Kaien stated simply. “He means too much to you to be anything other than your son.”_

_Isshin grimaced. That much was true. Toshiro meant the world to him, and it was getting hard and harder to accept he was officially just the boy’s captain._

_“You could always talk to the family about it, see what they think,” Kaien continued. “Even step down as clan leader and start a new branch.”_

_“That would make you clan leader,” Isshin pointed out, smirk turning playful. “Not sure we want that.”_

_“Not sure I would want that either,” Kaien rolled his eyes, “but I’d do it for a cute little nephew.”_

_“Yeah,” Isshin hummed. Internally, he was grateful for the offer, and it was certainly one to discuss with the family, but externally he wasn’t done teasing. “Speaking of cute little nephews, when am I getting one? Or a niece? I’m not fussy, you know.”_

_Kaien rolled his eyes – hard._

_“You sound like Mum,” he muttered._

_“No little Kaiens or Miyakos on the horizon then?” Isshin laughed, though to be fair, he knew Kaien and Miyako had wanted to enjoy married life alone for a while._

_There was a tug at the corner of his brother’s lips and it told Isshin all he needed to know._

_Isshin stopped suddenly to send his brother a look._

_Kaien’s smile was ridiculous as it broke out over his features._

_“Are you serious?”_

_Kaien shrugged, “Like I said. Miyako has a ‘stomach bug’… for the next eight months.”_

_Isshin choked on a shocked laugh. He grinned and clapped his brother’s shoulder firmly._

_Miyako was pregnant._

It pained Isshin that he never would get to meet his little niece or nephew. It pained him that he still hadn’t adopted Toshiro, and it pained him that he wasn’t sure he ever would be able to, not without hurting the boy or the clan.

Still, it was only a bit of paper and a name, wasn't it?

Isshin glanced down at Toshiro, his hand still in his as the boy continued to talk about this lizard he saw.

Yeah, this boy was still his kid, official or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of you have been asking about Kusaka and we will be meeting him next chapter! I’m going to put my head canon forward for the reason they had twin Zanpakutos, because the movie was bs I reckon
> 
> Some of you have theories! Will you be right? Find out next time~


	30. Academy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toshiro's year at the Academy, told through phone calls to the people who mean the most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For all of you wanting to see Kusaka~

The Spiritual Arts Academy was… well it was a big place, and Toshiro was a little guy (as much as he hated to admit that).

He was yet to meet someone who wasn’t twice as tall as him and four times as wide. He was yet to meet someone who didn’t bump into him when they walked passed, or sneer down when they did see him. He was yet to meet someone who would want to be his friend.

The Academy was lonely, but Toshiro knew it was the best place for him. He had to get his powers under control – powers which certainly were turning people away from him. Besides, the place clothed him, fed him, housed him and kept him safe so he didn’t have to rely on the Shibas, and that was not something he took for granted.

And well that lack of friends could be a good thing too, since it meant Toshiro had no distractions. He could study in peace, and train without interruption. People gave him a wide birth, but Toshiro was topping his classes.

Still, he wished he didn’t feel so miserable every day.

The only thing he looked forward to was his one phone call a month. There was one phone in the whole school, and with so many students, the Academy made it a rule that each student only got one phone call a month (if they even had anyone to call), lasting only five minutes in length. There was a phone monitor – a grumpy man who was constantly tapping his foot and frequently huffing to show his impatience – to supervise the calls.

Each night there was a queue, and Toshiro joined it one night when he was feeling particularly sad. He just wanted to talk to someone.

It took him hours to make it to the phone, despite queuing quite early. He kept getting pushed to the back as bigger, meaner students pushed in front. Toshiro was the last one there, and the phone monitor on duty sneered at him like they all did, stamping his phone card with the date.

Toshiro swallowed and took the receiver off the hook. He had memorised the number weeks ago, and dialled it in.

It rung four times, and each ring had Toshiro tightening his grasp on the phone nervously, but finally, a familiar voice answered.

“Shiba residence.”

Toshiro released a relieved breath.

“Granny?”

“Toshiro?” Granny said back, voice softer now and sounding surprised. “Is everything okay? It’s late, you should be in bed.”

Glancing back up at the phone monitor, who snarled in response, Toshiro ducked his head, turning away from the man.

“Yes, sorry,” he murmured into the phone. “I get to make a call once a month. Is it okay I called you?”

“Well of course it is, Sweetheart,” Granny cooed into the phone, voice crackling a little through the dodgy connection. “How is school?”

“Good,” Toshiro smiled a little. School wasn’t really good, but he was glad he was able to call Granny, and it was nice to hear her voice. She had this way of making him feel like he had no problems at all. “I got moved up to Sixth Year.”

Apparently this was impressive, but it didn’t make any of the students like him any. In fact, he was sure they hated him more now.

“What?” Granny gasped. “That’s fantastic, Toshiro! I’ll have to tell Isshin. How are you liking it?”

“Classes are good.”

“Are they hard?”

“No,” Toshiro answered, and on the other end of the line, Granny laughed.

“Well, you are a very intelligent young man,” she chuckled, “I’m sure you’re breezing through.”

Well, he had a lot of spare study time. Toshiro didn’t say that though, changing the topic quickly.

“How are you?” he turned the conversation around. “And Kukaku and Ganju?”

“We’re all good,” Granny’s voice was happy, and Toshiro could imagine her smiling. “Kukaku and Ganju have another fireworks show coming up on the weekend so they’re keeping busy and out of trouble, which I am thankful for.”

“And tomorrow is family dinner night, right?” Toshiro felt himself starting to grin. He thought of Isshin and Rangiku, Kaien and Miyako, all arriving at the manor for what was sure to be a lively feast.

“Yes, it is,” Granny told him. “Isshin and Rangiku will be so glad to hear you’re doing well in class.”

Toshiro felt his shoulders straighten. He wanted to make them proud.

“Could you tell them I said hello?” he asked.

He had been meaning to write to them, since letters were a more efficient way of communicating when the only other option was a five minute call once a month. The reason he hadn’t was the same reason he hadn’t written to Granny since his first week – he didn’t know what to tell them. He had no news other than ‘classes are good’. He didn’t want to tell them how lonely he felt, or that he was starting to wish he had never enrolled, because he didn’t want them to think him ungrateful. Besides, what would a captain and a lieutenant care that one little boy was sad at school?

“I’ll tell them,” Granny promised.

At that moment, Toshiro felt a tapping on his shoulder. The boy glanced up, it was the phone monitor – his time was up. He wasn’t ready for his time to be up.

“Thank you,” Toshiro murmured. “I um, I have to go now.”

“Okay, Sweetheart,” Granny’s voice was gentle, loving. “Get a good sleep.”

“You too,” Toshiro gripped the receiver tightly. What he wouldn’t give for one of her hugs. “Good night, Granny.”

“Good night, Toshiro,” Granny replied. “Don’t forget to write-”

The line went dead.

Toshiro glanced up at the phone monitor, whose finger was pressing down in the disconnect button.

“Time’s up,” he glared before snatching the receiver from Toshiro’s hands and hanging it back up on its’ cradle on the wall. “Get lost, Boy.”

Toshiro hung his head, but internalised the sigh. He turned away and dragged his feet back to the student dorms.

He missed Granny. He missed all the Shibas, because they were the closest thing he had to friends in the Soul Society. They probably only saw him as a charity case though.

Toshiro’s heart ached. He felt so alone at this huge academy.

* * *

On his third month of school, a miracle happened. That miracle’s name was Sojiro Kusaka.

Toshiro had been in the canteen during lunchtime. As per usual, his table was empty. As per usual, he played with his food instead of eating it. As per usual, he stared out the window, over the academy training grounds to where they reached the bordering fence. On the other side of that fence stood Squad Six’s guard towers, looming over and protecting their barracks from the hooligan students next door.

Not as per usual, a voice called his name that wasn’t a teacher marking the attendance roll.

“You must be Toshiro Hitsugaya.”

Toshiro was so shocked he had almost fallen off his chair as he whipped around to face the voice, his eyes snapping to the tall man beaming down at him.

“I’m Sojiro Kusaka,” the man said, grinning widely. “I just got bumped up from the year below.”

Toshiro stared like a stunned fish. In fact his lips might have moved like a fish too, but no words had come out. Students didn’t just talk to him.

“I heard you got bumped up from first year,” Kusaka continued, unfazed and still happy. “That’s very impressive.”

“I um,” Toshiro was lost for words. “Y-yes.”

Yes? He just sounded like an ass.

“C-congratulations?” he offered to Kusaka then, since he had been moved up a grade too, and the man beamed down at him.

“We’ve got to stick together,” Kusaka told him with a grin. “Want to be my friend?”

He extended a hand out to Toshiro and the boy blinked at it for a moment before his mind caught up. Someone was offering to be his friend?

Toshiro shook the hand quickly realising that, and Kusaka clapped his hands excitedly when he let go.

“I’m going to grab lunch!” he exclaimed before scurrying off. Toshiro watched, bewildered, as Kusaka joined the canteen line and gave him a double thumbs up.

A few minutes later, Kusaka and his tray of food were sitting back down at Toshiro’s otherwise empty table and he was gushing about the quality of the food. He used words like ‘delicious’ and ‘sensational’, and while Toshiro wouldn’t have gone that far, especially after having Granny’s cooking, he did smile and hum his agreement. It was just nice to have a friend.

Kusaka was good company, as it turned out. He was intelligent and playful, and he never looked down at Toshiro. They were neck and neck for the top spots in the class and though Toshiro beat him out come their mid-term exams, Kusaka never got angry. He promised to beat Toshiro next time in a playful challenge, and Toshiro just wacked him with his bamboo kendo sword.

“In your dreams, Kusaka,” he scoffed.

“You’re so on, Hitsugaya!”

After a few weeks, Toshiro forgot what it was to feel lonely.

He didn’t mind getting pushed to the end of the phone line when his monthly call came back around. Well, second to the end, since Kusaka let him go before him.

This time he finally had some good news to tell, so he figured it was time he called the woman who fought for his enrolment. Besides, Granny had his last four calls and she was probably sick of his voice.

“Squad Ten Barracks,” an unfamiliar male voice answered, tone bored. “Sixth Seat Kubo.”

“Hello,” Toshiro said politely. “I’d like to speak to Rangiku please.”

“That’s Lieutenant Matsumoto to you, Child,” the voice sneered. Toshiro knew it was sneering. He’d seen it enough the last few months to know how a voice sounded when the mouth was doing that.

“I’d like to speak to Lieutenant Matsumoto please,” Toshiro corrected then, if only to humour the officer. Rangiku had introduced herself to him as Rangiku, not as Lieutenant Matsumoto.

“She’s busy,” Kubo replied flatly. “Who are you?”

“Toshiro.”

“Toshiro who?”

“Hitsugaya,” Toshiro gritted his teeth. This guy was wasting his precious minutes.

“Oh the kid,” Kubo seemed to recognise his name, but he didn’t seem happy about it. “Yeah, she’s mentioned you.”

“So can I talk to her?”

“No,” Kubo replied instantly, tone flat. “Lieutenant Matsumoto doesn’t want to talk to you.”

Toshiro felt himself deflate, and behind him Kusaka squeezed his shoulder, not that he could hear the other side of the exchange through the phone.

Toshiro had been about to argue, or just give up and hang the receiver back on its’ cradle when he heard a familiar voice in the background.

“Excuse me? I think I’ll decide who I want to speak to.”

Rangiku!

Toshiro paused, listening as a lot of shuffling and muffled voices were heard, before a loud crash and pained grunt.

A moment later, the shuffling stopped and there was an exhausted huff.

“Hello?” Rangiku’s voice was upbeat and positive, despite whatever the crash and grunt had been.

“Lieutenant Matsumoto?” Toshiro asked, feeling like this might have been a bad time to call.

“Toshiro, is that you?” the lieutenant seemed surprised, like Granny, and thrilled. “You don’t normally call me that.”

“I should start,” Toshiro replied with a small grimace. He supposed he was a Soul Reaper now, at least one in training, so rank respect should be upheld.

“You don’t have to,” Rangiku told him. “I don’t mind. We’re friends.”

Toshiro sighed, ignoring that. The phone monitor was checking his watch and tapping his foot. It couldn’t be long now until he would forcibly hang up the phone on them.

“How are you?” Toshiro asked instead, and Rangiku went on a bit of a tangent about how hard her day had been since she was having to take over the retiring third seat’s paperwork. She was ‘exhausted’ and ‘way too sober’. It was nice to hear her voice again, and her crazy stories.

“But tell me about school?” she asked.

“Classes are good,” Toshiro said automatically before he remembered to correct himself, since he had good news now. “I made a friend.”

“That’s so great, Toshiro!”

Toshiro grinned, and found himself bouncing on his toes. He could hear Kusaka’s chuckle behind him, and the phone monitor’s huff of annoyance. Toshiro didn’t care – he had a friend and twenty seconds left to talk about him.

“His name is Kusaka and he got bumped up grades too!” he gushed. “We’re topping the class across all subjects.”

“I’m so glad to hear that,” Rangiku was swooning on the other end of the line. “We’ve been hoping you would call here soon. I imagine you haven’t got much time left now?”

“Twelve seconds,” Toshiro informed her, grinning. She knew about the phone times too! He supposed it was probably the same ancient phone that had been here in her day.

“Okay well please call again soon, I miss you! I’ll try and come for a visit after your exams,” Rangiku told him.

“Yes please!” Toshiro gasped. She could come visit after exams? Working Soul Reapers weren’t allowed into the Academy normally, unless they were there to teach a course.

“Tell Yuuto I say hello!” Rangiku’s voice was cheeky. “I bet he misses me.”

“Who’s Yuuto?” Toshiro asked and immediately the line went dead.

The boy’s eyes snapped to the phone monitor who had once again disconnected the line on him.

“Hey!” Toshiro glared at the man. “I had three seconds left!”

The phone monitor’s expression was unimpressed, as usual, but his cheeks were unusually red.

Behind Toshiro, Kusaka snorted, and when the boy turned to him, his friend mere pointed back to the phone monitor, smirking widely. Toshiro turned back to the man and then he spotted it – the little silver name tag pinned to his chest.

Yuuto.

_Oh._ Toshiro frowned.

“Lieutenant Matsumoto says hello,” he told him, and Yuuto the phone monitor’s cheeks went an even deeper shade of red.

“Get lost, Boy.”

* * *

Just as good as things started to get, they plummeted twice as hard.

Kusaka started acting strange. Toshiro wasn’t sure he understood why.

Kusaka followed him everywhere. He fought harder to beat him in all their subjects. He even got mad when Toshiro had beaten him in kido class, even though it had been only one mark that separated them.

“Lieutenant Hinamori favoured you!” he accused. “She didn’t like me at all, that’s why she didn’t spend any time with me.”

Lieutenant Hinamori had led the Kido classes over the last week to help them for their upcoming practical exam before the written finals. She seemed nice! She helped Toshiro when he was struggling.

Toshiro had asked her politely, but Kusaka had yelled at her. Toshiro honestly didn’t blame her for not spending as much time on him.

“I should have beaten you,” Kusaka snapped, and Toshiro flinched.

It was a gradual change but Kusaka no longer tolerated being second in the class. He no longer tolerated Toshiro’s high grades.

Still, he followed Toshiro everywhere. It was rather annoying.

Toshiro would tell him he had to go to the bathroom just to get away from him for a few minutes, but that only made Kusaka angry, and then he started following Toshiro into the bathrooms. It was weird, and Toshiro felt uncomfortable.

He asked a lot of questions too – ones Toshiro couldn’t answer.

_Why are you so smart?_

_Why are you so powerful?_

_Why are you so cold?_

_Who’s your Zanpakuto?_

_Can you hear him?_

Even worse, Kusaka would stare at Toshiro while he slept. The man had made the guy in the bunk next to Toshiro swap with him, saying they should sleep next to each other because they were friends, but Toshiro wasn’t sure Kusaka ever slept actually, or if they were still friends. Every time the boy tried to go to sleep, Kusaka was staring. If he woke up in the middle of the night, Kusaka was staring. When he woke up in the morning, Kusaka was staring.

As the weeks wore on his, his skin grew paler, his eyes darker. He looked sick. He became very possessive and controlling; he wouldn’t let Toshiro answer questions in class, or use his monthly phone call to talk to Granny. Once he grabbed Toshiro’s wrist so hard it bruised.

He wasn’t Kusaka anymore.

Toshiro was worried about him.

But then, with just a month until final exams, Toshiro’s focus moved off Kusaka abruptly.

He had been standing on the training fields, having escaped Kusaka in the crowd of students in the hallways, moving between classes. He had been focusing all his Spiritual Pressure into the bamboo kendo sword in his hands, and finally he heard it.

He heard the voice his mind. The one he could hear loud and clear for the first time, the one that finally left his dreams and caught him while he was awake.

“My name is Hyorinmaru,” a dragon manifested in his mind, its’ voice deep and ancient. “Do you have the strength to wield me, Boy?”

Toshiro found himself standing on a plain of ice, the training grounds vanished. In the background, tall snowy mountains stood proudly, and a blizzard blew through them, making Toshiro’s uniform flap madly. Despite the heavy snow, Toshiro found that he wasn’t cold. He stood his ground and stared up at the huge serpentine dragon; its’ body was made of icy water, its’ eyes red. It reared up at him, fangs visible, wings opening.

“My name is Toshiro Hitsugaya!” Toshiro yelled up to the dragon. “I have the strength to wield you!”

The dragon roared loudly in triumph, and a second later the vision vanished and Toshiro was standing back on the Academy training grounds.

Around him, a ring of ice. In his hands, a real katana.

It wasn’t a bamboo kendo stick anymore. It was metal, sharp and cold to touch. It was long, taller than Toshiro easily, with a bronze star as the guard, and a light blue hilt (the same blue as the dragon’s body). As Toshiro stared down at it in surprise, as a dark blue sheath appeared over the blade.

Toshiro’s eyes went wide.

Hyorinmaru – his Zanpakuto.

“You got your Zanpakuto!”

Toshiro whipped around at the familiar voice. Kusaka was there, standing just outside the ice ring that had formed around Toshiro. He looked angry, and his eyes held accusation.

Toshiro felt the need to apologise, but he wasn’t sure what for.

“What is his name?” Kusaka asked then, but it was more of a spit.

Toshiro glanced back down at the sheathed katana, his fingers wrapping around it gently.

“Hyorinmaru,” Toshiro breathed. “Ice Ring.”

Kusaka stormed off then, like he had been insulted.

Toshiro ignored it though, and thought about who he was going to call on his next phone privilege night. Who would want to hear about this the most? Maybe Isshin? He hadn’t gotten to speak to Isshin yet. Kusaka probably wouldn’t let him though…

Well he did end up calling Isshin, but unfortunately it was not in the same happy circumstances. His next monthly call slot was two weeks after he had been able connect to Hyorinmaru and receive his katana, and in that two weeks, everything had come to a crashing halt.

Kusaka was dead.

Toshiro had killed him.

Well… he hadn’t dealt the final blow, but he might as well have.

See, Kusaka had also connected to his Zanpakuto – his Zanpakuto, _Hyorinmaru._

It wasn’t supposed to be possible.

There was no such thing as twin Zanpakutos and Hyorinmaru, though he had been lying dormant for so many centuries, was never known to have materialised twice in the same time period. Toshiro’s Hyorinmaru called Kusaka’s an imposter.

Central Forty-Six had got involved, and their word had been final.

There was to be only one wielder of the ice dragon.

Toshiro and Kusaka were to fight to the death.

Toshiro stood in the line for the phone, but this time he pushed himself to the back of the queue. He didn’t know what he was going to say on the phone to Isshin. He wasn’t allowed to say anything about Kusaka’s execution.

He still remembered how Kusaka had charged at him when the order was given. Those eyes were full of fury and hate, and no longer familiar. He had struck out at Toshiro and the boy had only narrowly missed the blow. He didn’t want to fight. He begged Kusaka to stop, he begged Central Forty-Six to cancel the fight and let him abandon Hyorinmaru. He didn’t want to fight his friend. He wanted to go back to Granny’s home.

Alas, the fight continued, and alas, Toshiro had won. He hadn’t even injured Kusaka, he had just trapped him in the ice to stop him from attacking, but Central Forty-Six decided that was enough information. The Stealth Force arrived, and Kusaka was killed in front of Toshiro’s very eyes.

He could still hear Kusaka’s dying scream.

Toshiro had still been sobbing about it days later when a Central Forty-Six representative forced him to sign the non-disclosure agreement that said they could execute him too if he spoke about it to anyone. Toshiro had only wondered later how many times they might have done that – covered up their cruelty with threats of death.

After that Toshiro kept his head down. He sat alone again – in class and in the dorms. He didn’t eat much so he saw no reason to go to the canteen, he didn’t study much so he saw no reason to go to the library.

When his monthly call came around, Toshiro almost dreaded it.

He knew that between Isshin, Rangiku and Granny, someone was expecting a call. They would be worried if he didn’t contact them – they had sent letters, but he hadn’t replied to them.

Eventually Toshiro was the last person waiting to use the phone, and he couldn’t put it off any longer. For once, Yuuto didn’t look at him with a sneer and contempt as he handed Toshiro the receiver. The boy dialled the number.

“Toshiro?”

First ring, and it was Isshin.

“Captain Shiba,” Toshiro greeted in surprise, though his tone might have been a bit flat.

“Are you alright?” Isshin asked him quickly. “You haven’t called any of us in a while, or written back?”

“Sorry,” Toshiro murmured. He swallowed, hating the fact he had to lie. “I’ve been studying for the exams.”

Isshin hummed, like he expected as much.

“Well, I was hoping you would call here tonight,” the man’s voice was happy. “I heard about you gaining your Zanpakuto, the legendary Hyorinmaru!”

Toshiro heard the dragon rumble proudly in his mind.

“Yeah,” Toshiro sighed. “It was a surprise.”

“Well we knew it would be an ice type,” Isshin seemed to chuckle. “A powerful one at that, so we probably shouldn’t be too surprised.”

Toshiro didn’t say anything. He didn’t know what to say.

He was sad again. He missed Kusaka. He missed Isshin. He missed Granny and Rangiku.

He wanted to go home, except that he didn’t have one.

He swallowed, feeling the tears well up in his eyes.

“Are you okay, Kid?” Isshin asked, sounding concerned after the moment of silence between them.

_No_ , but Toshiro had signed a non-disclosure agreement on the threat of death.

“Yes,” Toshiro lied again, though the hiccup probably didn’t fool anyone, so he thought up an excuse quickly. “I’m just stressed about finals coming up.”

Two weeks away in fact, and Toshiro had no motivation to open any of his books. Even ‘The Tales of Toshiro’, which Isshin had let him take to the Academy, lay abandoned on his bunk shelf.

Isshin sighed through the phone.

“You’re going to do amazingly, Toshiro,” the captain murmured. “You’re the smartest kid I’ve ever met.”

Normally Toshiro would have revelled in the compliment, but tonight he didn’t. Being smart had turned Kusaka against him, being smart had lost him a friend that he would never get back.

Still, he agreed, because he only a minute of his call left.

“Yeah,” he chuckled weakly.

“You know we’re all coming to your graduation, right?” Isshin told him then, out of the blue. Toshiro blinked in surprise.

“You all?” he repeated back to the captain. “Granny?”

“Yes, Granny,” Isshin chuckled, voice bright with happiness. “And me, and Rangiku. Kaien and Miyako too, even Kukaku and Ganju are planning to come.”

All of the Shibas were coming to his graduation?

“Hang in there, Kiddo,” Isshin assured him. “Two weeks to go. Keep your head down and books open – it will all be worth it.”

Toshiro swallowed and nodded. Now he believed that, if it meant he got to see the Shibas smiling down at him on his graduation day.

“Okay,” he agreed, and for the first time in days he felt motivation.

He wanted to do well for Isshin and his family who cared for him, and for Rangiku who had seen so much potential in him from the start.

“Good boy,” Isshin’s voice was smiling. “We’re really proud of you.”

Toshiro almost dropped the phone.

“I’ll do my best,” he promised, knowing he was almost at five minutes now.

“I know you will,” Isshin told him. “You’re a good kid.”

Five minutes clicked over, but this time Yuuto didn’t disconnect the phone.

Still, Toshiro didn’t want to push his luck.

“I have to go,” he murmured down the line. “Thank you for talking to me, Captain. I-I need that.”

Isshin hummed.

“I’m glad you called,” the captain told him softly. “Rangiku and I will be there to visit as soon as your exams are over.”

“I can’t wait,” Toshiro felt himself smile. “Bye.”

“Bye, Kid.”

Toshiro handed Yuuto the receiver and the phone monitor hung it back on the wall. The boy bowed in thanks and turned to leave.

“Boy!” Yuuto called him back.

Toshiro glanced over his shoulder to see him gesturing Toshiro closer, so the boy turned and walked back to him. Yuuto looked around, like he was worried someone might see or overhear them.

“I know you’re not allowed to talk about it,” the phone monitor whispered, and Toshiro’s eyes went wide. He knew? Immediately Yuuto held a finger to his lips to silence Toshiro before he could talk. “I know you’re not allowed to talk about it so _don’t_. Just listen.”

Toshiro stared up at him, bewildered but curious. He nodded silently, and Yuuto continued.

“They made a mistake,” he informed Toshiro. “They thought he had Hyorinmaru like you but he didn’t. He had Sakkaku, it’s an illusion-based Zanpakuto. It mimics.”

Toshiro’s breath hitched, his heart stopping. An illusion… mimicking…

“They don’t know if he was pretending to have Hyorinmaru or if he was just wanted it so badly that his Zanpakuto took that form, fooling everyone including him,” Yuuto continued in a hushed tone. “But it wasn’t perfect, that’s why the ice was purple.”

Toshiro could only stare. He couldn’t form thoughts, let alone words, even though he wasn’t to say anything.

“They’re keeping you quiet because if their mistake gets back to the captains or the Soul King, they’ll be de-seated and punished,” Yuuto explained further. “You need to stay quiet like they want, otherwise they’ll kill you too, and anyone else who gets in their way.”

Toshiro stared. He thought of Isshin. He thought of all the Shibas and Rangiku. They could never know. He wouldn’t let them get hurt.

“How do you know?” he breathed. Was he allowed to ask that?

Yuuto shrugged, “The phone monitor knows everything.”

Vague enough, but Toshiro supposed Yuuto must have overheard a lot in his time.

“Why are you telling me this?” Toshiro asked then. As far as he was aware, the phone monitor didn’t like him.

Yuuto sighed and looked away.

“Tell Lieutenant Matsumoto I said hello,” he answered simply, as if that was actually an answer. “Now get lost, Boy.”

Toshiro stared for a moment, until Yuuto made a shooing gesture. He turned slowly, frown deepening as he walked away from the phone and back towards the dorms.

He would have to ask Rangiku about her relationship with Yuuto when she came to visit, but for now he had bigger thoughts to deal with.

Kusaka hadn’t had Hyorinmaru. He had died because Central Forty-Six had killed before they had asked any questions. They had made a mistake.

Toshiro wasn’t the stronger wielder, he was the _only_ wielder, and Kusaka had been wielding an entirely different power, one he hadn’t known how to use properly.

Toshiro remembered Kusaka’s stares in the dark, and those growing bags under his eyes. He remembered the man following him everywhere, asking all those questions. He had become sick, he’d become obsessed. There was no way he had pretended any of that.

He had wanted Hyorinmaru, and had tricked himself into believing he had it. It had cost him his life. It had cost Toshiro a friend.

The boy was in tears again by the time he reached his bunk, but he was silent. No one could know. He climbed up onto the bunk and stared at the empty bed beside his.

Swallowing, he reached for a book on his shelf – any book right now.

He flicked on his reading light and opened it.

He promised Isshin he’d do his best. He had didn’t want to let any of them down.

And he owed it to Kusaka, to be the best wielder of Hyorinmaru that he could be, that Kusaka wanted to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah I didn’t actually plan to write Kusaka into this fic originally, so that might squash some theories out there. I hope you enjoyed what I did with him anyway – let me know what you thought of my counter to the twin Zanpakuto issue from the movie. I hated that they basically were like twin Zanpakutos aren’t possible (Kurotsuchi literally said ‘by definition, it wouldn’t be a zanpakuto’) and then just never explained it? Anyway, I’m salty and I come up with alternative plot when I’m salty.


	31. Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Seireitei's first Halloween

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit late for Halloween. Alas, I do Halloween about as right as the Ten Family.

_“What,”_ Isshin huffed at his lieutenant, “is this?”

He held up the floppy white thing and Rangiku beamed at him.

“That’s part of your Halloween costume, Captain,” she giggled. “You’re going to be a monster hunter!”

“So a Soul Reaper?” Isshin asked, mildly hopeful.

“Not quite,” Rangiku giggled again, and the captain inhaled deeply, feeling a migraine coming on.

‘Halloween’ was a relatively new concept in the Seireitei. Hell, it was a new concept in the Japanese Living World too, but now it had infected the Soul Society.

It was a Western celebration, and though Isshin didn’t mind the likes of Christmas and similar Western traditions he had experienced, but Halloween was a strange one. The theme was horror, and the concept was ridiculous. He was sure it had some sort of understandable origin but had since become commercialised and frankly, _weird._

“People scare each other, then go door to door of people’s homes to ask for treats?” Isshin had asked, frowned etched on his face, when he was told about it from Rangiku. It was a year prior, when she has returned from the Living World from her holiday trip with a few of the other Lieutenants. Of course, she had come back on a loud buzz about this ‘Halloween’ thing and now a year later, the Seireitei was to have its’ own version.

“Yeah I thought that was strange too,” Rangiku had hummed, tapping her lip with finger in thought. “That seems to only happen in the West though. Japan has great street parties to celebrate!”

Isshin had rolled his eyes sufferingly. This all seemed like another excuse for his lieutenant to get drunk.

Of course, Rangiku had spearheaded the Halloween organisation for the following year. She recruited the lieutenants and the SWA, and anyone else who couldn’t look past her chest to say no to her.

Now, a year later, Isshin suffered.

They had to dress up in costumes apparently, and of course, Rangiku had assigned herself to costume detail.

Naturally her costume was a revealing one that was not at all appropriate for a Soul Reaper in her rank – a low cut, open black corset, and a shorter than possible skirt with fishnet stockings. She threw on a pointy hat and called herself a ‘witch’, and that was the truest thing Isshin had heard this first Halloween.

Rangiku had also wrestled Toshiro into a wolf costume, which was essentially a fluffy grey onesie with a tail. Isshin had felt sorry for him when he stood there pouting, his nose coloured to look like a dog’s, as Rangiku slid the wolf ears onto his head – but the boy was easily bribed with sweets and that lost him sympathy points, since now he was excited to go out. He had since taken up residency on the office couch, working on carving a pumpkin into a ‘jack-o-lantern’, quietly ignoring the exchange between his captain and lieutenant behind him, ears still perched on his head (they were the same colour as his hair, and looked disturbingly natural on him).

“Get changed, come on,” Rangiku ordered Isshin, throwing a big chain with a fake-ruby pendant at him. “We’ve got to go meet Kaien and Miyako.”

“And Captain Ukitake!” Toshiro chimed in then, turning to grin at them from over the couch. He had a jelly snake hanging out of his mouth. “He’s bringing more sweets.”

Rangiku beamed, and Isshin shot the boy a look.

“You better still eat your dinner, Toshiro,” Isshin told him sternly. “Don’t go filling up on sugar.”

“I won’t,” the third seat promised him before turning back to his pumpkin.

Isshin sighed and started putting on the bits of costume Rangiku had given him. The sooner they got to the party, the sooner it was going to be all over and done with.

Thankfully he was allowed to wear his Soul Reaper uniform, though Rangiku had taken Haineko to the end of his haori in order to make it look charred and ripped to the point it was worse off than anything Zaraki ever wore. She had given him a chain necklace, which Isshin hated since he wasn’t a jewellery wearer; it sat low on his chest too, making him look like a poor mobster. Then, the part of the costume that he could only describe as a ‘white floppy thing’, went around his neck like a big frill.

Isshin stared at himself in the office mirror. He looked ridiculous.

“You look great!” Rangiku clapped her hands together excitedly, either oblivious to or ignoring the incredulous expression on Isshin’s face.

“I look like a freak!” Isshin snapped, but Rangiku was unfazed, simply reaching out to adjust his costume in places, murmuring about how they were going to be the best dressed division.

Yeah, apparently that was a thing too – costume awards. Isshin glared death at his lieutenant, but she continued to ignore him, suddenly taken with her own reflection in the mirror.

“Look,” Toshiro’s happy voice caught their attention and they turned him. The boy held up his jack-o-lantern proudly. It was ice.

Isshin spotted the real pumpkin in pieces on the coffee table. Apparently the kid had struggled with that one and since replaced it with an ice cube instead, carving it down to a pumpkin shape before getting into the jack-o-lantern detail.

The face was terrifying; its mouth an open zigzag, its eyes slanted triangles. The expression in the ice was mad, somewhere between angry and laughing. There was resemblance to a hollow mask, minus the lack of teeth. It was creepy, to say the least, but Toshiro beamed up at them so Isshin let Rangiku handle that one. Of course, she loved it.

“This is amazing!” she gasped, taking the ice pumpkin from his hands. “I can put a candle in this and it won’t melt, right?”

Toshiro scoffed, turning back to his sweets bowl.

“Don’t insult me,” he muttered, pulling out a lollypop and popping it into his mouth.

Isshin could only shake his head and sigh as Rangiku giggled. She returned a moment later with the ice pumpkin and placed it on the coffee table. It now had a candle in it, and it lit up the face in a way that made it look ten times as scary. With the lights off, this thing was going to haunt Isshin in his dreams.

“It’s perfect,” Rangiku murmured and Toshiro hummed his agreement.

Isshin really felt that migraine coming on now.

* * *

The Seireitei’s first ever Halloween street party was utter madness.

It was very clear to Isshin that nobody really knew what they were supposed to be doing. It was looked like the Obon festival in the Living World, but like no one was taking it seriously. It seemed surreal, almost like a cartoon. The streets were decorated in the creepy horror theme, and food stalls lined them. There was also a rides section (when the Hell did the Seireitei get rides?), but Isshin steered Toshiro and Rangiku clear of them. He had been on a ride in the Living World once and gotten so sick he had to stay overnight, unable to face running through the Senkaimon, or even transitioning out of his gigai. His subordinates didn’t need to see him like that tonight.

Instead, Isshin walked them through the streets, while Toshiro and Rangiku gushed beside him at all the pumpkins and lanterns, and pumpkins that were lanterns (they made Toshiro’s look like a piece of gorgeous art). Fake spider webs covered division barrack gates, and rubber masks covered skewered melons to look like decapitated heads. Soul Reapers ran around everywhere with excitement, an eerie music played through the alarm speakers.

It was the food that was where Isshin decided the theme went too far – he didn’t want sushi that looked like it was screaming in pain, or noodles that were pushed together to look like a brain. Toshiro didn’t seem to mind, munching into manju that were decorated to look like eyeballs, and Rangiku was drinking red wine out of IV bag.

The captain couldn’t knock the enthusiasm of the Soul Reapers though. Every single Soul they saw was dressed up, and most had put a lot of effort into their looks.

They had spotted Renji, dressed as a mummy, and little Rukia with him, dressed as a succubus. Isshin didn’t know what that was, but she had a purple fluffy dress on, devil horns coming out of her hair, and bat-like wings on her back. She and Toshiro had bumbled awkwardly through a conversation in which he tried to tell her she looked pretty, and she reached out to feel the wolf ears on his head.

Isshin hadn’t been able to help but smirk at that, and he had to send Rangiku for a walk to calm down as she erupted in a fit of giggles, only throwing Toshiro off his game further.

The captain had also seen Soifon dressed as a black cat, as well as Shuuhei dressed as a devil and Izuru as an angel. It aligned perfectly when they stood either side of a pumpkin-Momo and bickered over whether she should stay for another game of ‘Hit the Zombie’ or return to her captain.

Eventually, Isshin managed to wrangle Rangiku and Toshiro back on course, and they met up with Ukitake, Kaien and Miyako.

Ukitake was dressed an old wizard, with purple velvet robes and what looked to be Yamamoto’s staff. He had a pointy hat like Rangiku’s and half-moon shaped glasses on the time of his nose. Miyako was dressed as a scientist, calling herself ‘Frankenstein’, and Kaien was dressed as her ‘monster’, his skin made to look like it was patched and stitched together from a number of sources. Rangiku of course had a number of sexual remarks to make about all that, but thankfully she covered Toshiro’s ears as she did so.

Apparently ‘Frankenstein’ was a living world book, and they gave Toshiro a copy to read, alongside a whole bag of sweets from Ukitake.

“Is it scary?” Isshin asked when Toshiro accepted the book, already flicking it open.

“A little,” Kaien shrugged.

“Cool,” Toshiro smirked.

Isshin shot Kaien a glare but his brother merely shrugged.

“He’ll be fine.”

Easy for Kaien to say – he wasn’t going to have the boy crawling into his bed in the middle of the night, trembling from a nightmare.

The group wandered on, marvelling at the set up in the Seireitei that evening. It was cold and dark, but Isshin couldn’t complain while Ukitake, the most susceptible of them to the cold with his illness, carried on happily. Isshin was a fire type though, so he felt the cold chilling his very soul. Rangiku, fire like him, didn’t seem to notice however, but the captain figured her alcohol blanket was keeping her warm enough. Toshiro was loving afterlife naturally.

Eventually, they settled on a picnic rug on the grass below Sokyoku Hill. Kyoraku, far more drunk than Rangiku now was, found them and joined their party. He was dressed as a pirate, and stumbled over to them, collapsing on the grass a metre or so away. Nanao stalked behind her captain, dressed as a nun. She hit him over the head with her bible and sat with a huff on the rug.

Isshin had to have some sake from Kyoraku’s flask just to deal with them all.

“Hey Toshiro!” Rukia’s voice called out to them and they spotted her waving at them from the path. She stood beside her brother – Byakuya was officially the only person not dressed up that evening, though he had put on his nicest noble headpiece so perhaps he was dressed as a stuck up clan leader?

Isshin could make that joke, being the Shiba clan leader himself.

Toshiro’s face was bright red but he waved back at the girl.

“Want to come on the tea cups ride with me?” Rukia asked brightly.

Toshiro turned to Isshin with hopeful eyes. The captain nodded, never wanting to step in the way of Toshiro’s budding friendship with the little noble girl, though he was worried his third seat might sick on the rides.

“Be back in half an hour,” Isshin told him sternly. “You need to eat dinner.”

The boy beamed and nodded, before he ran off quickly, meeting Rukia and Byakuya. They disappeared in the busy streets towards the rides section.

Isshin watched them go before he took another swig of Kyoraku’s flask sake. The man hadn’t moved from the grass, so Isshin doubted he’d notice, and Nanao looked glad to be rid of the alcohol in his possession anyway.

As much as Isshin wasn’t sold on this whole ‘Halloween’ idea, it was nice to see everyone out and about, despite the cold autumn evening. Rangiku and her army of minions had done a good job setting this all up. It was, as much as it pained Isshin to admit it, a rather enjoyable new festival for the city. Morale was high, in spite of the horrific costumes and decorations. It felt like the beginning of the festive season, with Christmas and the New Year next on the horizon, and of course that meant some important birthdays were also coming up in the Squad Ten barracks.

Isshin didn’t care so much about his own – he was happy with a family dinner at home – but he had some ideas about what he wanted to do for Toshiro this year. The boy didn’t love having a big deal made of his birthday, in fact he didn’t seem to care for it at all. He was usually more excited for the Winter Solstice that week instead, but Isshin figured he’d like his gift this year.

The captain was brought back to reality harshly, when Rangiku poked his cheek and giggled.

“I knew I’d get a smile out of you tonight, Sir,” she chuckled before sipping more of her blood transfusion wine.

“Yeah, yeah,” Isshin rolled his eyes, and battered her hand away when she started flicking his neck frill.

“I’m going to get food,” she sighed, standing on slightly wobbling legs. “You want anything, Captain?”

“Get some dinner for your brother,” Isshin requested, not meaning to say ‘brother’ but it slipped out naturally. Rangiku wasn’t fazed, giving him a thumbs up before turning and stumbling off to the nearest food stall.

Eventually, and in fact right on thirty minutes later, Toshiro returned. He was beaming and waving at Rukia as she left, grinning before she appeared to get dragged away by Byakuya. The second they were out of sight, Toshiro’s smile fell and was replaced by a queasy grimace, and he held his stomach as he came back to sit with Isshin on the rug.

“Feeling okay there, Kid?”

“Yeah, great,” Toshiro tried to smile, but he looked in pain.

“I supposed you don’t want your dinner then?” Isshin sighed, holding up the plate Rangiku had just brought back. “Though you did promise me…”

“I want to eat,” Toshiro told him, matter-of-factly, though Isshin was sure he just didn’t want his sweets eating rights revoked.

He all but snatched the plate from Isshin and began shovelling the food into his mouth. Isshin rolled his eyes, and finished off the last of Kyoraku’s sake, finally feeling a bit of warmth spread in his chest.

As predicted, Toshiro couldn’t finish his dinner – not that Isshin could blame him when the rice was designed to look like maggots and the chicken looked like a cut off finger.

“I don’t feel so good,” he finally admitted, leaning into Isshin’s side, his green face disappearing under Isshin’s white floppy neck frill.

“I told you not to eat all those sweets,” Isshin sighed and the boy groaned half-heartedly.

“I think it was the ride,” Toshiro argued weakly.

“I’m sure it didn’t help,” Isshin couldn’t help but chuckle a little. He’d been there too, but he wasn’t going to admit that tonight. Poor Toshiro was just trying to impress his pretty friend no doubt, and Isshin had been there too many times in his youth.

“Captain,” Rangiku moaned then, collapsing into his other side. “I feel sick too.”

“Well bagged wine will do that to you, Matsumoto.”

She groaned loudly, “It’s not fair.”

Though they were both feeling queasiness that was self-inflicted, Isshin put his arms around them and held them close for a moment. They curled into him, looking for comfort. The captain sighed, patting their backs gently.

“I better get these two home,” he told Kaien, and his brother nodded.

“Yeah, I should get my captain out of this cold too.”

Ukitake seemed to protest to that idea, but his argument was weakened by a coughing fit that quickly consumed him.

“I’m leaving my captain here,” Nanao grumbled, getting to her feet and brushing off her nun costume.

There was a pause when the group looked down at Kyoraku asleep on the grass, his snores the only sound between them for a moment. Isshin shrugged, deciding that was fair enough, and he picked his two subordinates up off the rug, placing them back on their feet.

It was a slow journey back to the Tenth but they finally got there. They reached the office first because it was the closest and Toshiro and Rangiku collapsed onto the facing couches. Isshin shook his head, once again stepping into the Squad Ten Dad role. He threw blankets over them, before he got a cloth from the bathroom and wiped away their costume makeup.

Toshiro held up his new Frankenstein book to Isshin, his question silent but obvious. The captain sighed and sat by the boy’s feet, opening the book.

_It couldn’t be that scary, right?_

* * *

Isshin wasn’t scared.

Nope, not in the slightest. He was a Captain of the Gotei Thirteen. He wasn’t scared easily.

He just couldn’t sleep because of all the excitement of the evening, that’s all!

There was no way he was scared. He tensed up at every sound but that was just… well, that was just his captain reflexes kicking in of course.

That Frankenstein book certainly had not frightened him. It had been boring really, so boring that Toshiro and Rangiku had fallen asleep listening to him read it.

Isshin had snapped the book shut the instant he realised no one was listening to him anymore, and chucked it quickly under the couch, hoping they would never ask him to read that again. His laboured breathing was merely the cause of the long walk back to the Tenth, and the captain decided he needed to put himself to bed. He made sure his lieutenant and third seat were tucked in tightly before sneaking out of the office.

Though, Isshin wished he hadn’t turned the light off and then glanced back over his shoulder to see the ice jack-o-lantern staring at him, lit up and laughing at him through its zigzag mouth. Shuddering, the captain ducked out of the door and hurried through the dark barracks to his quarters.

Did he lock the door behind him and triple check it? Well, that was nobody’s business but his.

The captain lay awake in his bed that night, clenching his teeth and gripping the covers every time the wind rustled outside. His muscles were tight, and starting to ache from the constant tensing.

_Relax, Old Man._

Engetsu’s comments were not warranted and Isshin visualised himself punching the fire spirit in his mind, but of course a twig snapped outside and the captain tensed again.

That sounded like someone was coming.

Right? Twigs don’t snap for no reason?

_I didn’t hear anything, Old Man._

Isshin strained his ears. He wasn’t scared, but if someone was coming to attack him in the middle of the night, he was going to be livid.

Another sound, whispering voices, had Isshin sitting up.

_Heard that one._

The next sound, a metallic twinkle had the captain rolling out of his bed. It was coming from his front door.

Grabbing his Zanpakuto, Isshin slipped out of his bedroom, and into the hallway. The sound of someone picking his lock grew louder, as voices continued to whisper. Isshin approached the door, sword raised, eyes locked onto the door knob that was now turning.

The door swung open and Isshin raised his sword but froze instantly, when Toshiro and Rangiku screamed, jumping back out the door.

Isshin almost swore, dropping his sword and holding his heart. He reached for the light switch and turned it on, to see his subordinates shaking on the front porch, holding each other for dear afterlife.

“What are you two doing breaking into my quarters in the middle of the night?” Isshin breathed loudly, trying to calm himself.

“You gave me a key,” Toshiro’s timid voice pointed out. He was hiding half behind Rangiku, his big teal eyes full of fear as he looked up at the captain, key held up in trembling hands. “You said I could come over if I had bad dreams.”

Isshin swallowed and nodded. His heart was still racing but he reached out for the boy and pulled him in for a hug.

“I know, I’m sorry,” Isshin murmured. Toshiro’s body was tense, but he relaxed after a few moments “I just got a bit spooked.”

Spooked. Not scared. Obviously.

“Can we stay with you?” Rangiku asked then. “The office is creepy and so are my quarters.”

“I don’t want to go to the dorms,” Toshiro added, voice muffled as he buried his face in Isshin’s yukata. “I had a dream the officers all turned to zombies and tried to eat me.”

“And I had a dream that a snake slithered into my bed and bit me,” Rangiku shuddered.

Isshin wasn’t one to analyse dreams normally, but Rangiku’s reminded him of her relationship with Gin. Toshiro’s was crazy, but he’d consumed a lot of sugar that evening.

“Come in,” the captain sighed, pulling them inside his flat. He triple checked the door lock again before leading them down the hallway.

He didn’t ask where they wanted to sleep and they didn’t tell him, navigating naturally towards his bedroom. Rangiku had changed out of her costume and into a yukata of her own, while Toshiro was still in his wolf onesie, though it was soft and undoubtedly comfortable enough to be perfect sleepwear.

They climbed into his bed and Isshin followed. Of course, they cuddled into him, Toshiro sandwiched in the middle as he often was for their group naps.

“I bet no other captain has their lieutenant and third seat climbing into their beds tonight,” the captain grumbled half-heartedly, as Rangiku reached over and pulled his arm across her and Toshiro.

In truth, Isshin loved it. He wasn’t scared before – clearly – but he was definitely calmer now. He felt like he could tackle any monster, any hollow. He had two important souls to look after, and they depended on him to keep them safe.

“Squad Eleven,” Toshiro murmured sleepily into Isshin’s chest.

“I doubt Madarame is getting into Zaraki’s bed,” Isshin poked the boy gently. He gave him Yachiru though, since she was Zaraki’s adoptive daughter and younger than even Toshiro.

“Squad Thirteen,” Rangiku offered then.

“Kaien and Miyako are married, of course they share a bed,” Isshin rolled his eyes. “I don’t think their getting in with Ukitake though.”

“I bet they do,” Rangiku chuckled in the dark room. “They give him cuddles when he’s sick.”

Well Isshin doubted that they were sleeping in the sick man’s bed, but he wouldn’t rule out Kaien giving Ukitake hugs to cheer him up. Kaien was affectionate, very much the hugger.

Even then, Isshin didn’t dignify that with a response, merely sighing and tightening his arms over the subordinates that he considered his kids. Toshiro was already asleep between them, and Rangiku hummed in content.

“I love Halloween,” She murmured sleepily.

Why she loved scaring herself to the point she couldn’t sleep in her own bedroom anymore, Isshin didn’t know. Still, he had to admit he’d had a good night too. Now, with his kids safe in his hold and the warmth he got out of being their protector, the captain supposed he loved Halloween too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT:
> 
> Sorry team, I know I'm late on the next chapter. I'm struggling a lot with my motivation at the moment (which is annoying af because I've got 4 fics swirling around my head atm), and I'm also crazy busy - moving house, working through lockdown 2.0 and adjusting to WFH (I hate it). Also being made to self isolate atm and it's just not been a great time for writing. I'm sorry and I'll get the new chapter up as soon as I can! Thanks for your patience <3


	32. Trauma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was one thing Toshiro hadn’t mastered, and that was his own trauma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, my sincerest apologies for the delay in getting this chapter up! The last month has been a whirlwind with work, moving flats and some person commitments. Thank you for your patience, kind readers x
> 
> WARNINGS: Yes, I need to put up some warnings this time. This chapter is a bit dark, and contains themes of child abuse/children murdered by their parents and PTSD as a result. Please don’t read this chapter if it’s going to upset you.

Toshiro could remember his human life.

Isshin was almost certain of it.

It took him years to come to that conclusion though, and admittedly, Toshiro was a good liar when he had the motivation to be (damn prodigy), but there was one thing the boy hadn’t mastered, and that was his own trauma.

Especially now, as Isshin sat on the edge of Toshiro’s bed at Shiba Manor, a hand on the sleeping child’s calf, barely resisting the urge to slip under the covers with him and hold him close.

Toshiro had fallen asleep about an hour ago, after crying and hyperventilating himself to the point of exhaustion in what was an incredibly severe panic attack.

“My boy…” Isshin murmured quietly, stroking the covered calf gently. Toshiro didn’t stir.

It was hard, as a (self-appointed) parent, to see his child suffering and not be able to do anything.

All he had been able to do when he found the boy in Mari’s arms, shaking and burying himself in her kimono – despite the fact he couldn’t breathe – was watch. They were sitting in the reading chair by the window in Toshiro’s Shiba Manor bedroom, and the boy had flinched away when Isshin had tried to rub his back, only becoming more distressed until the captain backed off. Mari had held him, and Toshiro refused to move out of her arms.

Realistically, Isshin would have no trouble plucking the boy from Mari’s arms and holding him himself, and a younger him might have, but something had told him not to do that now, even though it hurt him beyond belief to watch more than anything else. Something told him to be patient, and let Toshiro come back to him.

Trauma was a delicate thing.

All Isshin could do was reach out with his Spiritual Pressure, letting his kid know he was right there when he wanted to come back.

Eventually, hours later, Toshiro had fallen asleep out of exhaustion and it was only then that Isshin was able to pick him up and place him in his bed.

Mari sat in the reading chair still, worry prominent in her eyes, itching to get closer. Rangiku was out in the hall, speaking into her Soul Phone quietly, getting an update on the situation.

Kukaku and Ganju mulled around downstairs, worrying but staying away to give the boy some breathing space.

Isshin had suspected Toshiro knew more about his human life than he let on for a while now, but things had come to a head today.

The captain’s suspicions actually started when Rangiku brought it up with him, and that had been within Toshiro’s first year in the squad. She had thought Toshiro had slipped up, revealing his human birthday and implying a certain level of memories from his time alive, though he had quickly covered it up with a story about Hyorinmaru picking the date. When she first said something to the captain, Isshin hadn’t really given the opinion much credit.

_“Rangiku,” Isshin rolled his eyes. “If the kid can’t remember his own name, I doubt he can remember his birthday.”_

_“Maybe he does remember his name,” Rangiku suggested lowly. “Maybe he remembers more than we think.”_

He had seen utter seriousness in her eyes then, and he knew Rangiku was excellent at reading Souls. Still it was all conjecture, and he had told her to leave the topic alone. Souls that did remember their human lives often struggled with it, regardless of whether the life had been good or not, it was often too painful to relive.

They had left the conversation at that, and surprisingly, Rangiku had never brought it back up in all the years that had passed. Isshin didn’t dwell on it either, figuring Toshiro would come to them when he wanted, if the theory was even true. The captain hadn’t been all that convinced it was, even with Rangiku’s seriousness, so it wasn’t until Toshiro slipped up with him years later that the captain even gave it a second thought.

The boy got stung by a Japanese Giant Hornet in the garden behind Isshin and Rangiku’s quarters and his reaction was… intense.

At first Isshin thought it was because Toshiro had never been stung by a hornet before and was just scared. They were huge insects with giant stingers; it was enough to get even the bravest Soul Reapers avoiding them at all costs. Their stings were incredibly painful, more so than a bee, and it was common knowledge that their venom was potent, though it wouldn’t take down a Soul Reaper.

_“It’s okay,” Isshin tried to soothe an almost hyperventilating Toshiro, lifting the boy up and onto his kitchen counter. Outside, the hornets’ nest burned thanks to Engetsu._

_“I’m allergic!” Toshiro all but shrieked, one hand gripping Isshin’s haori and the other around his own throat. “I can’t breathe.”_

_Tears, fear and desperation were in his eyes. The captain shushed him gently, one hand patting his back softly, and the other reaching for the boy’s foot and bringing it up so he could inspect the sting just above his ankle._

_“Soul Reapers don’t have allergies,” Isshin informed him, tone even and calm and trying to exude that onto the terrified child. His hand lit up with healing kido and Toshiro stared, suddenly still._

_The angry red sting turned pale and disappeared into the skin as Toshiro watched wordlessly, the hand around his throat dropping away slowly, seemingly realising he could, in fact, breathe._

_“See?” Isshin hummed when the kido light faded. “All gone.”_

_The boy released a shuddering breath as he felt over the clear spot on his ankle, eyes wide with disbelief._

It wasn’t until later that night that Isshin remembered the comment Toshiro had made about being allergic, and how that had been a strange claim for the boy to make. Most Soul Reapers hadn’t even heard of allergies before, unless they had spent a lot of time in the Living World, which Toshiro hadn’t really, or if they happened to remember their human lives.

The only logical explanation that Isshin could think of was that the boy was remembering an allergic reaction he’d had as a human, hence the fear and panic.

It was then that the little things had started to add up; the way Toshiro hadn’t been surprised by anything in the Living World when Isshin had taken him his first time, the fact he could swim, the way he had picked up Chess and any other games Isshin brought home from the Living World, like he already knew how to play.

Isshin had put it down to him being a prodigy, but maybe he just remembered everything, or at least some things, he had experienced as a human?

Again, Isshin had let the thought go. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe it, in fact it was because he was starting to believe it that he had to let it go. Pushing Toshiro on this could only end in disaster, so he had pushed the thought away. It was reachable, for when he needed it, but far enough way that he wouldn’t dwell on it.

Things escalated a few more years down the track, recently to now, when Isshin found Toshiro having a severe nightmare on his couch. The boy had woken up so terrified he had almost frozen off the captain’s hand by accident, and had let slip more details than he cared to share.

_“It was r-real,” Toshiro’s shaking voice still haunted Isshin. “He st-stabbed me, again and again.”_

Isshin had asked who had stabbed him in the dream, but the boy had never answered. He shut down quickly, and refused to talk more about it.

The hornet, the nightmare – Isshin had to believe they were both related. Linked to past trauma, Toshiro had been in a moment of panic and fear when he had let slip those details, his mind not totally present in the moment.

Isshin would have come to the conclusion that the boy had died from a hornet’s sting – if it hadn’t been for the contents of the nightmare.

_“St-stabbed,”_ _the boy had gasped when he woke, clutching his side like he had been wounded._

Isshin didn’t sleep that night (or early morning as it had been by the time he had got home and found the boy). Toshiro had fallen back asleep, tucked into the captain’s side, but Isshin had laid there wide awake, his thoughts racing.

It was at some point in the morning, when Isshin could hear his squad members heading to the canteen for breakfast, that Isshin had the thought that maybe Toshiro’s dream was linked to a memory in his human life, since he seemed to remember more than he let on. It was a second after that when Isshin wondered if that’s how the boy had died.

His heart had plummeted at the thought. He sincerely hoped that wasn’t the case, though whenever a child passed away it was always in tragic circumstances. The best hope was that it was a quick death, a painless accident. 

Unfortunately, Isshin was not ignorant to the human evils in the Living World – that’s why they had Hell. There were evils in the Soul Society too, because nowhere was truly free of it.

He also remembered the scared little boy from Hitsugaya that sat up in Isshin’s father’s study just after protecting Mari from an intruder. The way Toshiro, who hadn’t had that name at the time, had looked at Isshin when the captain entered the room was with a look of pure fear, and immediately his eyes had dropped to Isshin’s Zanpakuto, expecting the worst.

The captain flinched slightly then, realising what Toshiro must have thought was going to happen to him that evening. He looked down into the face of the sleeping boy, unable to ever imagine hurting him.

What child ever assumed he was going to be stabbed as a punishment?

“That was Takeo,” Rangiku sighed, speaking quietly as she slipped back into the room, Soul Phone still in her hand. “They’ve handed over to Captain Soifon.”

Isshin nodded, that was probably for the best. He wanted to be involved – to ensure justice was served and maybe a little more – but he was too close to it now, and in fact they all were. Besides, no one was harsher than Soifon.

“That’s just awful what that man did,” Mari sighed sadly as Rangiku nodded in agreement, coming to sit beside Isshin on the bed.

‘That man’ was why they were all where they were now.

Squad Ten had received a distress call from a resident in one of their Rukongai jurisdictions – Hitsugaya, funnily enough – the man who called claimed his family were under attack by a Hollow. Isshin had sent the closest patrolling officer to be the first responder and had sent Toshiro and Takeo to catch up with the officer, assisting if needed.

It was rare they got a call directly from the residents, and it was especially strange that the hollow was not appearing on their Soul Phone radars.

However Isshin hadn’t been concerned, not until Takeo had called.

“Captain, I think you need to come to Hitsugaya.”

“The place or the kid?” Isshin had chuckled, not picking up on his fourth seat’s cautious tone until after he had replied.

He registered hearing Toshiro’s voice in the background, louder and angrier than he thought the usually sweet, albeit sarcastic, boy was really capable of.

“Both,” Takeo answered. “We have a situation.”

The fourth seat had been reluctant to give any further details over the phone, so Isshin had nothing but anxiety as he and Rangiku travelled promptly to the Western-most district. What they found was way worse than anything they could have imagined;

Two girls, younger than Toshiro, dead with wounds inconsistent with what a Hollow was capable of. The father, who turned out to be the man who had made the call, pinned to the wall by too-tight restraints made of ice.

It didn’t take a genius to put together what had happened in that cottage that afternoon, and why the man had claimed a Hollow was attacking. He was trying to cover his own actions.

Hyorinmaru’s fury was almost suffocating in the small cottage, despite the fact the wielder was gone.

“Gone where?” Isshin asked Takeo, watching the man in the restraints struggling – he could barely breathe as Hyorinmaru choked him.

The unseated officer – the first responder – tried half-heartedly to break the ice but Isshin knew the soldier was never going to be able to break that ice, not even if he actually wanted to. Isshin doubted even Haineko would get through that now; it would take a captain to do it

“I don’t know,” Takeo grimaced. “He just… lost it. He blew up and left, he was quite distraught.”

Isshin felt his worries spike.

“We’ll sort this,” Rangiku told the captain immediately. “Go find him.”

Isshin nodded and quickly brought down his hot blade over the ice, releasing the man who Rangiku quickly restrained with kido. He then flash stepped away with a hard swallow, off in search of his ‘distraught’ third seat.

Call it paternal intuition but the captain knew the moment he set off where he was going. He knew where Toshiro would have gone instinctively; home to the one person he had never been afraid of.

Isshin had burst into Shiba Manor and run up to Toshiro’s bedroom to find the kid in his grandmother’s lap in the reading chair, gasping and sobbing. Kukaku and Ganju stood uselessly in the room, unsure how to help.

The captain had never seen anything like it, but he still knew only trauma could cause that.

It was all too easy to connect the dots. It was all too easy to realise why Toshiro had been triggered by that scene in the little cottage in Hitsugaya.

Now Isshin, Rangiku and Mari continued watching the boy sleep, his chest rising and falling with much calmer breathing now, unable to do anything. Eventually Mari sighed and stood up from the reading chair.

“It’s getting late,” she murmured, gesturing to the window outside which the sun was setting. “I better get started on dinner.”

Isshin had forgotten it was Thursday, or family dinner night, but nodded as Mari stood from her chair.

She walked from across the room, but paused at the bed to glance down at Toshiro with a sad smile. She reached out to squeeze Isshin’s shoulder, and pressed a small kiss into his dark hair.

“Kids are resilient,” she murmured softly to him. “Toshiro will be okay, because he has all of us to love him.”

“Thanks,” Isshin sighed, not taking his eyes off the boy in the bed. 

Toshiro _would_ be okay, because Isshin wasn’t going to have it any other way.

He felt Mari move away then, and heard the bedroom door closing behind her with a gentle click.

There was silence in the room, only broken by the gentle tinkle of a light breeze coming through the window and knocking the icicles together on the wind chime Toshiro had made for his Shiba Manor bedroom.

“Are you thinking what I am thinking?” Isshin asked Rangiku eventually, voice quiet.

He didn’t want to say it out loud, but Rangiku managed it.

“Toshiro was killed by his human father,” she answered, voice strained.

Isshin nodded, feeling his throat tighten. 

“And he remembers it,” he murmured thickly.

Rangiku exhaled and nodded her agreement. 

“I couldn’t imagine remembering something like that,” she swallowed.

Isshin kept his eyes on the sleeping boy’s face and tried to comprehend how anyone could hurt the kid that was so pure of heart. The captain had been born in the Soul Society, never living a human life first, but even factoring in reincarnation, he couldn’t imagine remembering something like that. He couldn’t imagine having a father like that. His dad had been strict, never shy to give a disciplinary smack around the back of the legs, but he’d never hurt them.

“I don’t know what to do,” Isshin admitted. “How can I help him?”

Rangiku was silent, seeming just as lost as Isshin.

They couldn’t make Toshiro forget, they couldn’t ask him to move past it. There weren’t services in the Soul Society to help with things like trauma. If a soldier didn’t have a life-threatening physical injury, then they couldn’t be helped.

“All we can do is love him,” Rangiku offered at last, “and look after him like he deserves to be.”

Well that Isshin had no problem with that.

“I’ll keep him here tomorrow and over the weekend,” Isshin murmured. “See how he goes before I let him return to work on Monday.”

“It will be good for him to be with his family for a few days,” Rangiku nudged Isshin and he heard a smile in her voice.

Isshin swallowed and nodded, agreeing.

He stood up from the bed then before reaching over Toshiro and pulling the blanket up over his shoulders. Automatically, his hand slipped into Toshiro’s hair, as he always did to soothe the kid. Fast asleep, the boy didn’t appear to feel it.

Isshin had to steel himself to step away. He hated doing it, but he felt that Toshiro would need some space to collect himself when he eventually woke.

“We should let him sleep,” he murmured. Saying it out loud meant he had to follow through.

Rangiku slipped around Isshin’s back and placed Toshiro’s dragon plushie in the bed beside him.

“I’ll go get him a glass of water,” she murmured, straightening back up. “He likes to have water to drink when he wakes up.”

Sighing and nodding, Isshin pulled himself away from the boy. He got as far as the door before he had to stop and look back at his kid.

Toshiro was just a boy, asleep in his bed, next to a dragon plushie. He was a picture of innocence, the most kind hearted Soul Isshin had ever known.

The captain’s heart ached, and his eyes clenched as he finally turned away from the door. He opened them walking down the hall, and exhaled deeply.

How could anyone ever hurt Toshiro?

* * *

Minutes passed like hours, time dragging to no end.

The mood was low in the manor that evening, few words were said. It was unlike them, being the Shiba Clan was known for its loud, boisterous nature. Tonight, they couldn’t muster it. Not even Ganju, and that was saying something.

Rangiku stayed for dinner, though she often did on their regular Thursday family nights, as would Toshiro. Still, Isshin knew the main reason for her staying was because she didn’t want to leave their little third seat any more than Isshin did.

She looked ashen across the table from him, and of course they all did, their eyes cast over as they zoned out, their food lying hardly touched in front of them. If they were feeling like Isshin, then horrible feelings were swirling around their guts; pity, sadness, fury… perhaps even guilt.

Doubt was in Isshin’s mind too, over whether he’d made the right decision not to address the situation with Toshiro earlier. After all, he had known. Well, he hadn’t known it was a parent that had done the deed, but Isshin had known that someone had, and that Toshiro remembered it. Would it have been better to try and get Toshiro to open up earlier? Or would have that ended in exactly the same amount of tears and fear as tonight? He didn’t know, and he’d never know what the right call to make would have been. The fact was this was the situation now, and the captain had to pull it together for his beautiful kid.

Isshin couldn’t help but think that if Kaien had been there that night, he would have cheered the family up – he would have cheered Toshiro up. He’d had that kind of influence on people, picking them up at even their lowest points.

“I guess we should clean up,” Mari murmured, breaking the tense silence. They had only picked at their dinners, but it was clear they weren’t going to get much more down.

Isshin nodded and moved to help his mother take plates into the kitchen. Even Kukaku, Ganju and Rangiku helped, and that was almost unheard of.

They had almost cleared the table when a small voice sounded from the dining room entry.

“Dad?”

Isshin glanced up from where he was collecting the condiments. Toshiro was standing under the wide threshold, holding onto the frame with small hands, his eyes cautious.

“I’m sorry,” he said, voice fearful.

“You have nothing to apologise for,” Isshin returned quickly, voice soft but firm. Toshiro had to understand he hadn’t done anything wrong, not now, not then-

“The father did it,” he told Isshin, turning the conversation quickly. “He killed those girls.”

Isshin could hear the shake in his voice, though he had clearly attempted to be confident. It was obviously important to him that Isshin knew the truth of what happened today.

The captain nodded to assure the boy, “I know. Captain Soifon is handling it.”

He had to keep his voice calm, he had to wait for Toshiro to come to him.

The boy looked away, down at his feet. He was processing. Gently, Isshin put the condiments back down on the table and stepped around it so nothing was between him and the third seat. Around him, his family had paused what they were doing. They followed Isshin, and kept their distance. No doubt Rangiku and Mari were desperate to get closer, just as Isshin was, but they had to stay back.

It was a delicate situation, and Isshin had no intention of having Toshiro flinch under his touch ever again.

“What did they do?” Toshiro asked timidly. His eyes glanced up at Isshin before immediately dropping his gaze back to his feet.

“Who?”

“The girls.”

“What did the girls do?” Isshin frowned, echoing the question back, not understanding.

“To make their father so mad?” Toshiro asked, speaking more to the floor than anyone else. “To make him do that?”

The penny dropped, and so did Isshin’s heart.

“Nothing,” he breathed. “There’s nothing they could have done to deserve that.”

“Why did he do it then?” Toshiro asked, voice barely above a whisper, the floor still more interesting than Isshin’s face.

“I don’t know.”

He didn’t know. He hoped Soifon would get an answer out of the murderer, but even if she did, it would never make sense. Isshin couldn’t comprehend a world in which that could ever make sense, in which any answer could be justified.

Finally, teal orbs met Isshin’s. The captain couldn’t stand the distance anymore, but he wouldn’t spook Toshiro again, so he simply opened his arms and hoped for the best.

It seemed he did not have to hope, for the moment his arms opened, Toshiro appeared there. He hadn’t flash stepped, but he’d moved damn fast, throwing himself against Isshin’s middle and hugging his waist as tight as those little arms could muster. The captain exhaled in relief, feeling a weight lift off his chest as his own arms came around the boy’s shoulders. He hugged the boy back, trying to find a balance between gentle and firm.

After a moment, Toshiro pulled back, his head tilted back to look up at Isshin. His arms lifted and Isshin knew instantly what he wanted. It was gesture he had never seen from the boy before, but he knew what it meant. Immediately, Isshin reached down and lifted the boy up to his chest. One arm went under his thighs to support his weight and the other wrapped around his back, holding him close.

Toshiro’s arms wound around Isshin’s neck, and he tucked his head under the captain’s chin. Isshin heard him release a deep breath, like he was just as relieved to be held as much as Isshin was relieved to hold him.

“I lied to you,” he murmured after a moment, swallowing as he spoke. He sounded so scared. “I lied to Matsumoto. I do know my name.”

Over Toshiro’s shoulder, Isshin spotted Rangiku grimace. He wondered if she was replaying the moment they met in her head, perhaps wondering if she should have had reason to doubt the lie.

“I know your name too,” Isshin whispered to the boy, and immediately Toshiro pulled away from him, those teal eyes horrified. The captain shook his head quickly, and patted the kid’s back. “It’s Toshiro. I gave it to you.”

Toshiro’s expression was unsure, but also less fearful. That’s all Isshin wanted.

If Toshiro wanted to tell him his human name, Isshin was happy to hear it, but he didn’t want the boy to be scared of saying it.

After a moment, the boy nodded, seemingly to himself more than anything. He sighed, and tucked himself back against Isshin’s chest.

For a minute, it was silent. No one moved, or said anything. Isshin waited for Toshiro, either to get anything else off his chest or to change the topic to move past it, and the captain assumed his family was waiting for the same. They only wanted him to speak about it if he wanted to.

“I’d heard most Souls forgot their past life when they arrived in the Soul Society,” he explained quietly after a moment. “I hoped I would forget too. I’d hoped that by not acknowledging any part of it, including my name, would make it easier… but it never went away. I always wondered what I did to make him so mad.”

His earlier question made so much sense, it hurt. Isshin squeezed the boy and buried his nose in Toshiro’s snowy hair.

“It wasn’t your fault,” he muttered. “You didn’t deserve that.”

Gods, Isshin felt so much anger stirring in him. He wanted to hurt the man that had hurt this innocent boy, he wanted to see fear in the eyes of a man that had harmed his child.

Toshiro’s arms around Isshin’s neck tightened slightly and he turned his face to bury it against the captain’s throat. He hummed.

“I’m glad I’m here with you, Captain,” Toshiro murmured against Isshin, his voice more strained than before. He was close to crying again. “I finally have a dad who loves me.”

Isshin’s heart clenched and tears filled his own eyes before he could stop them. He pressed a soft kiss into Toshiro’s hair, and shut his eyes.

“You do have a dad who loves you,” he stated thickly. “One who would do anything for you.”

Toshiro hummed, agreeing.

“Don’t forget your big sister,” Rangiku’s voice was also tearful as she suddenly latched onto Toshiro’s back, “who will always have your back, even if she annoys you most of the time.”

Toshiro gave a small laugh, and Isshin felt him adjust himself in the hold to reach for Rangiku. The lieutenant’s arm slipped between them as she hugged the boy from behind.

“And your granny,” Mari added, and Isshin opened his eyes to see his mother rounding the kitchen bench as she hurried to join the hug, “who will always make sure you’re overfed and over-cuddled.”

The captain lifted his arm for her, letting her close to the boy.

“And a cool aunt,” Kukaku’s voice was cheeky, possibly the most upbeat of them, but Isshin was glad for it. Toshiro needed to hear a happy voice now. “I’ll always let you light the fireworks, even when your dad says no.”

Isshin shot her a disapproving look as she joined the hug, but he couldn’t be too mad feeling Toshiro’s smile against his neck.

“And an even cooler uncle,” Ganju added gruffly, reaching over the group hug to reach for Toshiro’s shoulder. “I’ll even let you ride Bonnie-chan.”

“That’s not happening,” Isshin cut in quickly as Toshiro’s head slipped out from under his chin and those teal eyes lit up with excitement. No way was his kid going to ride that wild boar Ganju had the nerve to call a pet.

The group laughed and Toshiro settled back down against Isshin’s chest with a small chuckle. For a moment everything felt better. Isshin held Toshiro against him and the rest of the family cuddled in close. The boy was surrounded with so much love, Isshin only hoped that it would be stronger than the trauma in Toshiro’s mind.

“I love you all,” Toshiro murmured after a while, “but I’m pretty hungry.”

Again, the family laughed and Isshin felt a smile on his own features. Yeah, their love would be stronger.

“You’re up, Granny,” Isshin grinned at his mother who was already rushing back into the kitchen to put together a plate for the boy.

“I’m on it,” she called back.

The hug disbanded as everyone returned to the table or to the kitchen to help. Isshin carried Toshiro over to his seat and sat them both down, the boy across his lap. Toshiro didn’t seem to mind, apparently enjoying the closeness as much as Isshin was.

He was acting far more like his old self, engaging Ganju in a discussion about boar riding technique and cheekily winding Rangiku up about it, since she thought pigs were ‘gross’.

Normality returned to Shiba Manor, but Isshin would never forget the fear and distress Toshiro displayed, and he made a silent promise to himself never to let it ever happen again.

* * *

“Move over, Kiddo,”

It was late, but Isshin had let Toshiro stay up past his bedtime since they weren’t going into work tomorrow and, well… it was hard to say no to those hopeful teal eyes that just wanted to beat Rangiku in another game of Spinning Tops.

Still, even after his long sleep earlier, the boy was still clearly exhausted from his emotional day, and Isshin had to call time of death on his game night when the boy fell asleep face first onto his Top.

“I’m not tired,” he argued, waking back up when Isshin had plucked him up off the floorboards.

“I’ve heard that before,” the captain laughed, and sent the boy marching to the bathroom.

Finally, he had the kid back in his own bed and settling into the pillows with his dragon plushie. Isshin slipped in after him, carrying the ever popular ‘Tales of Toshiro’ book.

On read number one hundred and sixty-eight – as Toshiro pointed out – Isshin was happy to read the familiar text to the boy. He hoped it would send the boy into a warm and peaceful sleep, and hopefully the nightmares would be kept at bay. He’d already made Toshiro promise to come to his room if he woke up scared.

Opening the book, Isshin threw an arm over Toshiro and brought the boy close. The kid yawned, settling with his head on Isshin’s chest as the captain began to read softly.

It was only a few minutes in that Isshin realised Toshiro had already fallen asleep against him, but the captain read on, not ready to pull himself away just yet.

Mari had told him that kids are resilient, and the captain knew Toshiro was – he was also incredibly strong – but Isshin wasn’t prepared to take any chances. He was going to help Toshiro in any way possible – he would do his research, speak to Unohana, and if he had to take Toshiro to the Living World to use one of their more mental trauma-specific services, then he would.

He would do whatever it took to help his son recover.

“I’m okay, Captain,” Toshiro murmured tiredly then, as if reading his mind and apparently not as asleep as first thought. “Today was a shock, but I’m okay.”

Isshin sighed, not entirely believing it. He tightened his arm around the boy and pressed another kiss to his head.

“I just love you so much,” Isshin told him. “I don’t want you to be scared anymore.”

“Less and less every day,” Toshiro promised him, “because I have you. I love you too.”

Isshin smiled at that. Maybe his kid was more resilient than he gave him credit for, and he always surprised Isshin with his strength.

But he was still going to help him in whatever way he could.

“Good night, Son,” Isshin murmured back, and he closed the book, reaching for the lamp and flicking off the light.

He made no effort to move from the bed just yet, deciding that a few more minutes of cuddles couldn’t hurt either of them.

“Goodnight,” Toshiro’s smiling voice was quiet in the dark, “Dad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> o.O
> 
> Anyway there’s some heavy angst for you.
> 
> I’m going to slow down posting on Afterfamily and not going to commit myself to any schedule. I still have plenty of chapters I want to write eventually, so I won’t be marking it as complete just yet. I’ve also got a number of other fics in progress that I’m really excited about, so I want to dedicate some time to them and not feel burdened by the fortnightly AF schedule. Hope you lovely readers will understand!
> 
> Subscribe to this story or me as an author to get email updates when I post!
> 
> Thanks All x


	33. Solstice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toshiro’s birthday was a day that caused him intense inner conflict.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TOSHIRO HITSUGAYA (SHIBA)!!!
> 
> Today my darling boy gets more love and affection to celebrate his special day! Alas, he also gets a little emotional.
> 
> Also featuring Hyorinmaru, thanks to a request from the lovely Aureia!
> 
> Request:  
> Toshiro and Hyorinmaru interaction/close bond

Toshiro’s birthday was a day that caused him intense inner conflict.

It was just date that marked him a year older and a year rarely taller, but it had been a date associated with terrible memories. Toshiro refused to think of them during the day time, since they often plagued him at night, but his birthday still left a sour taste in his mouth and a sense of fear in his heart.

It was the day he died as a human, after all.

On the other hand, since joining the Tenth, Rangiku and Isshin had always strived to make his birthday a day worth celebrating, and that made Toshiro feel loved and cared for. It was hard to hate a day when his afterfamily spoiled him with love strong enough to make him forget the bad memories for a while.

It was the day he had passed over to their world, after all.

These days, even the Tenth Division squad members knew his birthday and wished him a wonderful day. It was nice to know he had finally settled in with the team that they cared about him enough to do that, but it made the day all the more overwhelming for him.

“Happy birthday, Third Seat Hitsugaya!”

“Yeah, happy birthday!”

“Uh, th-thank you,” Toshiro bowed awkwardly to the passing unseated officers that had called out to him.

They glanced at each other in confusion, since it was uncommon for a Soul Reaper of his rank to bow to the unseated ranks. They bowed back, lower, as Toshiro hurried off, cheeks flushing with heat.

He blamed Rangiku for the fact the squad all knew his birthday, even though she had been coming from a place of love when she threw him his first whole-squad birthday party after his first five years in the division. That had been before the squad had liked him, so it wasn’t much of a turn out. Rangiku had been genuinely upset, but Toshiro hadn’t been surprised.

Nowadays he was hard pressed to get the squad to ignore him on his ‘special’ day. The tide had turned on their feelings toward him after he had been injured by that Adjuchas in the Rukongai and now they leapt over one another to give him gifts and wish him the best. Their enthusiasm to celebrate his birthday was now as strong as it was when it was their captain’s birthday. Isshin’s birthday was ten days before Toshiro’s but instead of combining into one event where Toshiro could share the attention, everyone insisted they celebrate separately.

Today, being that it was once again the third seat’s birthday, Toshiro was trying to slip through the barrack halls unnoticed in order to avoid the attention. He had reeled in his Spiritual Pressure, and crept quietly around the division. It was to no avail, the halls busy that day. In the lead up to Christmas, the squad members were extra lively, heading into party mode.

Isshin had given him the day off (which Toshiro hadn’t wanted) so he could go celebrate his birthday ‘like a kid’. Well, Toshiro wasn’t much of a kid, despite what everyone thought. Still, he had managed to entertain himself reading in his bunk for the morning – until Kubo and Takeo cornered him with ‘breakfast cupcakes’ and a new set of antique Spinning Tops. Mei had been in on the gift too, which meant Toshiro had to go find and thank her in the busy training grounds. It led to another fifty odd ‘happy birthday’s from the training soldiers and then a twenty player Spinning Tops competition. Toshiro won, of course, and it had been fun, but the overwhelming attention had made him nervous.

Thankfully Rangiku had broken up the game, dragging Toshiro off for a ‘brother-sister birthday lunch’. It was nice to just be the two of them at first, but Rangiku was big on birthdays – she always made sure people celebrated their dates to the fullest, which Toshiro was sure would have been great for people who actually liked their birthdays. They had gone to one of the restaurant bars near the West Gate, but it had been busy that lunchtime, causing her to let every passing Soul Reaper in the vicinity know it was his birthday.

“Hey Shuuhei, it’s Toshiro’s birthday!”

“Who?”

“My little third seat!”

“Lieutenant-”

“Oh the Hitsugaya kid. Happy birthday!”

“… Th-thank y-you.”

“Yeah, Toshiro was the one that scared you off on our date that time, Shuuhei!”

_“Lieutenant!”_

Rangiku giggled, Toshiro flushed and Shuuhei walked off mildly confused. After that, Toshiro did his best to keep Rangiku focused on anything but the Souls around them, so she wouldn’t call anyone’s attention again. She meant well, but Toshiro felt uneasy with the attention.

“I have a special present for you,” Rangiku told him after they had eaten and she was onto her second bottle of sake. “I wanted to give it to you now, before dinner at the Shibas tonight. They’ve all really nice gifts for you too.”

Toshiro shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Why did they all insist on giving him gifts? Couldn’t they just give him a hug and send him on his way?

Rangiku handed him a flat-ish parcel that was wrapped in blue and white snowflake-patterned paper. It was light and soft, so Toshiro already knew it was clothes. He didn’t mind getting clothes as a gift to be fair, since he rarely cared to do his own shopping, but he felt bad knowing he would see it on the Squad Ten credit card bill at the end of the month. Still, he had seen Rangiku tear down men over their fashion choices in the past so it was better that he took the clothes with no complaint.

Slowly unwrapping it and ignoring Rangiku’s calls for him to ‘just rip the paper’, Toshiro carefully pulled out the soft material inside. It was a scarf, muted green in colour, a shade between the lighter teal of his irises and the deep emerald of the Tenth’s colour symbol. In fact, it was very similar to the one he used to hold his Zanpakuto to his back.

“I know you don’t feel the cold as much as the rest of us,” Rangiku murmured, “but you could still use a scarf, and it should match your sash. You could even use it as a new sash if you wanted.”

The sash he had been using had been nothing but a piece of material lying around the male dorm room at the academy. Toshiro had found it the same evening he had heard Hyorinmaru’s voice clearly and received his katana. He realised quickly the sword was too tall to sit at his hip like other Soul Reapers carried theirs. He remembered Kusaka’s snide comment that night, and the fact the first stain on the sash had been his own blood from where Kusaka had nicked him in their ‘fight to the death’. That sash meant nothing to Toshiro, and over the years it had become faded, frayed and further stained with blood and ink.

“Thank you,” Toshiro whispered back to Rangiku, trying to quell the Kusaka memories (he did not need them today on top of everything else). “I think I will use it as a new sash for Hyorinmaru.”

It was Hyorinmaru’s birthday too, and hopefully the dragon would appreciate the shared gift.

Toshiro glanced up from the scarf to see his lieutenant beaming at him, her blue eyes a little unfocused but filled with pride and hope. The boy held the scarf bundle to his chest for a moment; regardless of what he thought about his birthday, Rangiku loved it and that was enough for Toshiro to not really hate the date like he wanted to.

“You’re going to look sharp and handsome,” Rangiku giggled, picking up her sake cup again. “A little birthday ice prince.”

Toshiro rolled his eyes but it did nothing to hide the pink in his cheeks.

They returned to the division and Toshiro swapped his sashes over, and he got to see Isshin briefly as he returned from a meeting the Head Captain. He received one of Isshin’s famous bear hugs and the promise of getting all the paperwork done early so they could get to Shiba Manor sooner.

“Go enjoy your day,” Isshin sent Toshiro off when he tried to follow the captain back to the office, hoping to get some peace from all the well-wishers. The third seat pouted as the office door was closed on him. Head hung and shoulders sagging, Toshiro walked down the hallway, preparing to endure more squad attention.

He received many more birthday wishes and even more gifts. He felt guilty about not wanting the attention, while so many Souls out there didn’t even have birthday dates and while his colleagues put effort into making him feel special. Still it made him uncomfortable, because he remembered a time before the Soul Society when he-

Toshiro’s body jerked with a violent flinch. No one saw, so he swallowed and continued on walking, shaking the flashback off.

It wasn’t important what happened before, but it did make him hesitate before wanting to celebrate the date ever again.

So when Toshiro was cornered by the three ninth seat offices with a bouquet of balloons and party streamers that popped loudly out of canisters like strange fireworks, and when new recruits all came together to sing him the happy birthday song, Toshiro’s overwhelming feelings flooded back.

He felt happy to have made friends that cared about his birthday, but more than that he felt anxiety, unease, anger and sadness. It was an odd cocktail of emotion, but it was strong. It was a confusing time for him.

He hurried towards the barrack gates, feeling the need for fresh air despite being out in it already.

“Hey!”

Toshiro whipped around and almost tripped on his own feet, hearing Rukia’s familiar voice. She was approaching the gates, a suspiciously gift box held in both hands and a happy grin on her face.

“H-hey,” Toshiro stammered before clearing his throat. He could feel the eyes of the guards on duty watching them. “What are you doing here?”

He knew, but he hoped to be wrong.

“I know you mentioned you don’t like your birthday,” Rukia started, smile turning sheepish, “but my brother said it is rude to miss important people’s birthdays.”

Toshiro raised an eyebrow. “I hardly think Captain Kuchiki would consider me important.”

Rukia’s lip twitched and she shrugged casually. “But I do.”

Naturally, Toshiro went bright red. Rukia smirked at him for a moment before she managed to suppress it, and she handed over the gift box. Her violet eyes were bright and her smile dazzling, so Toshiro took the present without complaint.

Lifting the lid off, Toshiro frowned and reached in to pull out the item inside. It was an ice sculpture, no doubt made from Sode No Shirayuki, carved into the shape of a rather badly designed rabbit.

“It’s snow Chappy,” Rukia explained as Toshiro stared at it, speechless. “Hopefully it won’t melt. I haven’t perfected your sculpting technique yet.”

When Toshiro glanced up, Rukia was looking down at her feet, suddenly shy. He glanced back down at the sculpture and then back at her.

“I like it,” he told her, voice barely a whisper. She glanced up at him and Toshiro noticed her cheeks were as red as his felt. They both looked away quickly as intense awkwardness passed over them.

After a while, Rukia stammered out an excuse to leave and Toshiro was grateful for it. She was so cool, but she made him so nervous and clumsy. He didn’t want to drop his new present.

“See you later,” she said quickly, backing away. “Happy birthday.”

“You too!” Toshiro called after her, before realising his mistake and flushing a hundred times brighter. _It wasn’t Rukia’s birthday!_

Toshiro’s heart pounded in his chest as she laughed awkwardly before she turned and ran away, and now he really did need fresh air. He needed fresh air from outside the Seireitei.

Quickly informing the guards (who wished him a happy birthday before he even got his greeting out) that he was heading to Shiba Manor early, he asked them to pass the message onto Isshin so he wouldn’t worry if he couldn’t find Toshiro later.

The third seat hurried towards Jidanbo’s gate as fast as possible.

“Well hello, young Toshiro,” the giant guard’s voice boomed loud enough for the neighbouring divisions to hear. “Happy birthday!”

_Not him too!_

Toshiro flushed and stammered another pathetic thank you before slipping passed him and headed quickly for Granny’s home on quick legs, a deformed ‘snow Chappy’ sculpture in one hand and the gift box it came in in the other.

The third seat found himself truly overwhelmed now, after hours’ worth of birthday attention he didn’t know how to handle.

Toshiro reached Shiba Manor and didn’t think twice before slipping around the side gate and across the manor’s back gardens. He knew it was rude not to go see Granny first, and Kukaku and Ganju too of course, but he needed a break from the birthday wishes for a while. He needed a moment to collect himself and find a minute of peace. He needed to reset before he let his emotions overwhelm him beyond what he could control.

Ducking under the outside of the manor’s windows so no one could see him passing, Toshiro flash stepped quickly to the pond at the back of the garden. Now that was visible from the kitchen windows but if Toshiro sat quickly, he might just manage the privacy.

Doing just that, Toshiro sat quickly on folded legs. The once lush grass was covered entirely by snow and it was cold and wet on Toshiro’s pants as he sat but the boy wasn’t bothered. He grabbed the sword off his back and placed it purposefully across his lap. His hands settled on the sheath, evenly spaced and ready to communicate with the other half of his soul.

The dragon purred in his mind, preparing for the visit, and Toshiro took a deep breath of the winter air. Finally it felt fresh.

His gaze rested upon the frozen pond in front of him, his thoughts clearing for a moment before he closed his eyes. Icy wind blew around him, circling him, but Toshiro couldn’t feel the chill.

“Young One.”

Hyorinmaru’s voice was an ancient rumble, commanding even while gentle. Toshiro opened his eyes and found himself sitting in fresher snow. An ice blue dragon loomed over him, wings outstretched and red eyes piercing as a ferocious blizzard blew around them.

Toshiro wasn’t afraid, and in fact he felt himself relax. He held out his hand to the dragon and waited patiently. The dragon’s wings lowered and so did his body, until Hyorinmaru’s snout pressed gently to the palm of Toshiro’s hand. Toshiro’s lips twitched with a smile.

Another sweep of blizzard cut between them, blocking Toshiro’s view of the dragon and a moment later it cleared, revealing a tall man with teal hair and silver eyes in place of the dragon. He sat opposite Toshiro, calm despite the blizzard around them. Toshiro knew the blizzard was a testament to the stress in his mind but he hoped to calm it. He wanted to see the distant snowy mountains in his inner world.

“Dare I utter the forbidden words?” Hyorinmaru’s manifested, slightly more human-looking, spirit asked, a slight smirk on his lips.

“Only if I can say them first,” Toshiro felt his own lips twitch in return.

Hyorinmaru nodded his head.

“Happy birthday, Hyorinmaru.”

“Happy birthday, Young One.”

The two shared a small smiled.

The twentieth of December was not only Toshiro’s birthday but Hyorinmaru’s as well. Well technically, the dragon considered his birthday to be the Winter Solstice, which wasn’t until the twenty-third this year, but for Toshiro’s peace of mind, the dragon humoured him. He must have been the only Zanpakuto to humour their host Soul’s inner birthday turmoil, but he did. It was a part of what made their relationship so special.

See, the twentieth of December was the most significant date in Toshiro’s history; he had been born on it, then killed and reborn on it exactly eight years later. He had connected, albeit unknowingly, with Hyorinmaru that fateful night. That was another point for the birthday positives list in Toshiro’s opinion, despite the morbid circumstances in which he got there.

“How many years has it been now, Young One?” Hyorinmaru asked. “I find it difficult to keep track of all my years in existence.”

“I’m losing track too,” Toshiro murmured, frowning a little. “Must be at least fifteen?”

The years had started blend a long time ago in truth. When one’s aging is slowed, so too is their perspective of time.

“I remember connecting with you,” Hyorinmaru reminisced. “You were even smaller then, an ice cold but beautifully bright light after years of darkness. I knew instantly you were the one to bring me back.”

The night Toshiro had passed over to the Soul Society had been the twentieth of December, and that year it had also been the Winter Solstice. Hyorinmaru, who had been dormant for so many years due to weak hosts, had been at his strongest that night. It had been fate that their spirits had crossed at the right time, and they had become one.

Unlike his birthday, the Winter Solstice Toshiro had no problem believing was an exciting day each year. It was when he felt strongest, when his connection with Zanpakuto was most clear. It was the shortest day of the year, but it was Toshiro’s favourite.

“I am so lucky,” Toshiro smiled, more to himself than anything, as he thought about it.

His birthday as an anniversary of his human birth meant nothing to him, but his birthday as the anniversary of his being reborn and connecting with the ice dragon was incredibly special. If he hadn’t been through that, he would never have become a Soul Reaper. He probably would never have met Rangiku and the Shibas, and a world without them wasn’t a world he wanted to live in, even as an afterlife.

It was nice to be reminded of that. The twentieth of December was a special day. It was full of sad memories and memories that made him want to scream in agony, but it was the day that got him where he was now, so surrounded by love and affection. It was the day that reminded him that he had a family – the Shibas, Squad Ten, and of course, the dragon that shared his soul.

“No, Young One,” Hyorinmaru’s deep voice called him back. “It is I who is the lucky one. Seldom does a Zanpakuto connect with such a pure force of strength and good.”

The overwhelming emotions came back but they were positive now, and Toshiro felt calmer, feeling warmth spread from his heart to the tips of his fingers and toes. The boy glanced back up at Hyorinmaru and those silver eyes sparkled back at him, playful but powerful.

Filling a grin stretch out on his own face, Toshiro opened his arms, hoping for a hug. With only the smallest hints of an eye roll, Hyorinmaru obliged. He morphed back into a dragon in an instant and slithered around Toshiro quickly, wrapping around him in almost python fashion. Toshiro leaned back into the icy body and relaxed in Hyorinmaru’s coil hold. The dragon’s wings folded over them and his head eventually came to rest on Toshiro’s shoulder as the boy’s arms wrapped loosely around the creature’s neck.

It was funny how warm he felt hugging a creature of ice.

Toshiro hummed, comfortable and Hyorinmaru too started to purr in content.

This was a peaceful as Toshiro’s mind got, the blizzard around them fading away. Toshiro could just see the mountains in the distance through a gap in Hyorinmaru’s wings. He smiled at that before leaning back further and closing his eyes.

Finally, some fresh air.

“Do you like your new sash?” Toshiro asked in a tired mumble. “Matsumoto bought it for us.”

“I do indeed.”

The two of them must have been laying there for some time, and Toshiro wasn’t totally convinced he hadn’t drifted off (could he even sleep in his inner world?), but eventually Hyorinmaru shifted.

“Your captain awaits your return,” the dragon informed him. “He is patient, but unfortunately Engetsu is not. Gods forbid Haineko gets involved soon.”

Toshiro smirked, chucking a little. Apparently their Zanpakutos could feel each other on some level, and Hyorinmaru often had complaints about the two Toshiro was so frequently in contact with. He supposed he knew the difficulties of being an ice wielder between two fire types.

“Thank you,” Toshiro murmured. He was grateful for his visit to the dragon that afternoon – he felt much calmer, his perspective on his birthday realigned. He hoped it was enough to get him through his birthday dinner at Shiba Manor.

“Go on, Young One,” Hyorinmaru rumbled, unwrapping himself from Toshiro and rising back up. “You should spend tonight with your family. I will see you for the Solstice soon.”

Toshiro nodded and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes for a moment, and opened them again.

He was back in the Shiba Manor gardens but it was now dark. Being so close to the Winter Solstice, it could be this dark and still only afternoon, but Toshiro got the sense it had been dark for some time now. His skin was cold and fresh snow covered his hands and legs. Toshiro’s eyes widened and he lifted the sheathed sword up off his lap and shook the flecks of snow of it.

“You’re back!”

Toshiro’s eyes widened as he heard Isshin’s voice and a second later those familiar arms came around him.

“Captain!” Toshiro gasped, realising Isshin was sitting next to him in the snow and was shivering almost violently. “What are you doing out here? You’ll freeze.”

“So could you,” Isshin reminded him sternly, his teeth chattering as he talked. “You’re not completely immune to the cold, Toshiro.”

The worry was evident in his voice, and in the tightness of his hug. Toshiro swallowed and hugged back.

“I know,” he murmured softly into Isshin’s chest as he found his head settling there. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be gone so long. I just wanted to wish Hyorinmaru a happy birthday.”

Isshin sighed above him before he stood and pulled Toshiro up with him. The third seat grasped his sword and snow Chappy before he could drop them. The captain didn’t put him down, carrying Toshiro back to the manor under one arm and collecting his own Zanpakuto that was stabbed into the ground with the other.

“Let’s get you inside and warmed up before your grandmother has a heart attack.”

Toshiro pouted. He really hadn’t meant to cause anyone any stress.

* * *

It was warm inside Shiba Manor, more so after the seemingly endless amount of food Granny had put on Toshiro’s plate that night. He had worried her, as he found out when he returned to the house with Isshin. She accosted him instantly, pulling him from Isshin’s hold into a tight hug before she led him towards the bathroom quickly, telling him to have a hot bath while she found him a warm yukata.

Apparently they had been worried when Isshin had arrived at the house expecting to find him there after receiving the message from the guards. Eventually they found him meditating by the pond, and despite the freezing cold, they had to let him finish his visit to his inner world.

Isshin knew, as did Toshiro, that a meditating Soul Reaper should never be forcefully brought back, in much the same way that a sleepwalker shouldn’t be woken if avoidable. A Soul Reaper’s powers and instinct made it dangerous, as waking them from mediation would cause them unnecessary shock and lead them to lash out instinctively. Toshiro had felt guilty, finding out that Isshin had sat out there with him for two hours in the cold, keeping an eye on him.

Aside from that, Toshiro’s talk with Hyorinmaru had been worth the visit. He was calmer now, less overwhelmed even as all the Shiba’s wished him a happy birthday and gave him gifts.

Granny’s gift had been a blanket, one she had been knitting for weeks. It was completely white, like the snow in Toshiro’s inner world. He loved it, but he worried about keeping it clean.

Kaien and Miyako had given him books, knowing he was an avid reader, while Kukaku and Ganju gave him a soccer ball when Isshin was looking and a handful of fireworks when he wasn’t. They had also made his lizard, Tobio, some cool new features for his ever growing enclosure.

“I suppose that just leaves my gift now,” Isshin murmured, leaning away from his finished plate of cake.

“You don’t have to give me anything, Captain,” Toshiro offered, causing the captain to laugh as though it hadn’t been a genuine request.

“Come on, Kid,” Isshin stood from his chair and gestured Toshiro to follow. “This one I have to keep upstairs.”

Curious, Toshiro followed with a slight frown. He saw Rangiku’s knowing smirk as she too followed, and then so did the rest of the Shiba family.

Toshiro felt some of his unease return. For the whole family to follow them up surely meant this was going to be one big present?

His earlier emotions began to bubble up but he forced them down.

Swallowing and wringing his hands together nervously, Toshiro followed Isshin up the stairs. The captain led them to the door of his father’s old study where Toshiro often slept on a futon when he stayed at the manor overnight. Isshin stopped, turning back to face Toshiro.

“Why do you look so nervous?” he asked, surprise on his features.

Toshiro shrugged. “I’m n-not.”

He was, but that was beside the point.

Toshiro flinched, feeling hands on his shoulders unexpectedly, but he calmed when he realised they were Granny’s.

Isshin grimaced and placed his hand gently on Toshiro’s head, patting his hair gently.

“I know you don’t like to make a big deal of your birthday,” the captain murmured. “Don’t think of this as a gift, but as a well overdue rite of passage.”

Toshiro raised an eyebrow at him and the man smirked. His hand came to rest on the door handle for a moment, before he quickly opened it and swung the door open. The light was switched on as Toshiro was pushed gently inside, Granny’s hand’s slipping away from his shoulders.

The third seat froze.

This room used to be a study. It used to have a big desk and a heavy chair behind it, it used to have a long couch opposite the full bookcases and very few wall hangings. That was not the room Toshiro was looking at now.

This room still had the bookcases, but it had no desk or couch. It had a single bed, with a blue duvet and pillows. It had a reading chair by the window and the walls had photo frames hung upon them, the pictures inside containing images of the Shiba family, including Toshiro.

The boy stopped breathing for a moment.

“Welcome to your new Shiba Manor bedroom, Toshiro,” Isshin clapped him on the back as he stepped in beside him. “I’m sorry it’s taken us so long to arrange this.”

Toshiro stared, already feeling his eyes fill with tears. His emotions were flooding back now.

“A bedroom?” he squeaked. “For me?”

Isshin glanced down at him, likely hearing the change in the register of his voice, and nodded encouragingly. His hand landed on Toshiro’s shoulder as the boy did his best to quell his emotions.

“Yeah well, you needed one,” Isshin explained gently. “You’re my kid and I love you, you should have a room in my h-”

Toshiro didn’t hear the rest over his own sob as he threw himself into Isshin’s chest.

That was the first time Isshin had said that to him.

It was like all the emotions Toshiro had been bottling all day came to the surface and erupted more than they bubbled over. He cried and cried, as Isshin knelt beside him and pulled him in for a tight hug, and the bad memories washed away. Toshiro had love in his life. He had family, a huge family of nobles and soldiers, all of who _wanted_ to celebrate something as seemingly irrelevant as his birthday.

Isshin was patting his back, trying to speak words of comfort, but Toshiro couldn’t reel in his emotions.

“I love you too,” he sobbed, repeating it over and over.

It must have dawned on Isshin then the significance of his words because Toshiro felt him squeeze gently and press a kiss to his hair.

“I should have said it earlier,” he admitted softly. “I’ve felt it for a long time.”

Toshiro nodded, stumbled over a ‘me too’ and a hiccup, before turning his face into Isshin’s shoulder and crying some more.

He calmed eventually when Isshin untangled himself and dragged the boy over to the bookcase to see where Kaien had placed his new books, and then over to the bed where Granny had thrown the white blanket on top of the duvet. He showed him where Rukia’s snow Chappy was placed on the dresser, where Rangiku and Granny had filled the new closet with clothes, and to where Kukaku and Ganju had placed the soccer ball in a large blue storage box full of toys.

“I put your new Spinning Tops set in here,” Isshin was talking him through it all to distract him, “I even got you this dragon plushie.”

“A what?” Toshiro chuckled wetly as the soft toy was handed to him. It was indeed a blue dragon plushie.

“A little dragon for our little dragon,” Isshin smirked, like he found that entirely entertaining. Toshiro scowled at it. He wasn’t little and he wasn’t a kid that played with toys (unless they were Spinning Tops because Spinning Tops were cool).

Even as Toshiro was shown every item in the room, he still struggled to believe it was his bedroom. He never had much of a bedroom before, certainly not since coming to the Soul Society and sleeping mostly in shared dorm rooms. Looking around this room, and though Toshiro hadn’t yet spent a night in it, it felt like he had always lived there. It was designed to be a young boy’s room, it was designed to be _his_ room.

Rangiku and the rest of the Shibas had filtered out of the room, leaving Toshiro with Isshin as the two of them sat on the ground, a fresh game of Chess between them. When they played, Toshiro was always white and Isshin was always black, to match their hair colours – another thing Isshin found entertaining.

“I struggle with my seeing my birthday as a good day sometimes,” Toshiro admitted quietly as they played. It wasn’t prompted, but he wanted to share a bit of the truth with Isshin – not all of it, but a start. “Sometimes it’s hard to accept all the love and attention.”

Isshin frowned, possibly because Toshiro had just taken out one of his knights with his bishop.

“You deserve it, you know?” Isshin murmured. “You’re a good kid.”

Toshiro nodded. It wasn’t that he thought he wasn’t good, it was just that he remembered a time when no one loved him. He was almost scared to accept the love now, in case he lost it again. He was certain that would hurt more than never having been loved.

“I just don’t want to lose it,” he whispered.

He spotted Isshin’s hand hesitating over his queen, either because of what Toshiro had said or because he was had noticed that if he took out Toshiro’s bishop with his queen, Toshiro could take the queen with his rook.

“You won’t, Kiddo,” Isshin sighed, reaching for a pawn instead and moving it one space forward. “You’ll always have me, and if something happened to me, you would still have Rangiku and Squad Ten. You’ll always have the Shibas, and now you’ve got the bedroom to prove it.”

Toshiro hummed, acknowledging that. He too moved a pawn one useless spot forward, and in fact right into the line of fire of Isshin’s other knight.

“I’ll have Hyorinmaru too,” Toshiro offered, feeling a bit more confident with that. “He couldn’t leave me if he tried.”

In the back of his mind, Hyorinmaru rumbled, disgruntled.

“Of course,” Isshin chuckled, grinning now. “No matter what, you’ll always have love in your life now, and we have you which is its own reward.”

Well Toshiro wasn’t sure about that but the fact was that all day the Souls in his life had been showering him with well wishes, affection and gifts. They had all wanted to, because they wanted to celebrate him.

It was a tough pill to swallow but Toshiro was trying.

Isshin moved his knight to take out Toshiro’s pawn and he did so with a smirk. Toshiro returned the smirk and slid his queen into the knight’s previous position.

“Check mate.”

Isshin frowned down, eyes wide with disbelief.

“You distracted me,” he accused dramatically, causing Toshiro to laugh. “You got me all sentimental and emotional, all the while plotting to kill my king.”

“Distract you with my sob stories?” Toshiro gasped. “I would never.”

Isshin’s side eye said he didn’t believe him and he pounced over the board to Toshiro who yelped and rolled out of the way. He leapt up and dived onto his new bed.

“I’m coming for you,” Isshin grunted, his joints cracking as he stood up off the floor. _Old Man._

Toshiro laughed and ducked under the duvet and a moment later he felt Isshin crash on top of him, fingers splayed to tickle Toshiro through the duvet as punishment for his recent crimes.

For one birthday at least, Toshiro got to be a kid – even though he wasn’t a kid and everyone should stop saying that he was one. He got toys from his fun family members, books from the smart ones, a knitted blanket from his Granny, clothes from his fashion-conscious sister. Best of all, he got a bedroom and an ‘I love you’ from his new father and that was the best feeling Toshiro had ever felt in both his lives combined.

Perhaps his birthday was something he could look forward to next year, especially if it was on the Winter Solstice again.

In his mind, Hyorinmaru purred happily, the blizzard gone again.

**Author's Note:**

> Please kudos and comment if you’re enjoying this fic <3
> 
> If you would like to join our Bleach community Discord Server (The Seireitei), use the joining code: https://discord.gg/Zh8N2Ra
> 
> Also, if you would like to follow my progress with current fics or see what I’ve got coming up in future, check out my Trello board! You can find it here: https://trello.com/b/TTqjniOD
> 
> Cover art by Ammsterdamn – check him out on DeviantArt! here: https://www.deviantart.com/ammsterdamn


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